Democracy in Action

Government and market failures spur many citizens to practical action today. Around the globe people form renewable energy cooperatives, provide support for marginalized populations, and deliver alternative justice and care services. What motivates citizens to begin such practical problem-solving? How do they engage others? What knowledge do they generate? How do they interact with state and market actors? What risks and opportunities do they hold for contemporary democracy?

To answer these questions, Dzur and Hendriks develop the concept of citizens’ governance space to delineate these efforts from contentious social movements, formal civic associations and local community organizations. Drawing on cases from around the globe, the authors examine how citizens do functional policy work, develop and disrupt knowledge, and selectively partner with governments and corporations. They reveal complexities and risks posed by citizens’ governance spaces while also showing how they offer a distinct form of democratic participation centered on practical efforts and outcomes.

Democracy in Action provides a new lens for recognizing and understanding the more practical ways that citizens contribute to governance and democracy.

Albert W. Dzur, Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, Bowling Green State University, Carolyn M. Hendriks, Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Albert W. Dzur is Distinguished Research Professor in Political Science and Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. His research focuses on citizen participation and power-sharing innovations in criminal justice, public administration, and education. His interviews with democratic innovators appear in Boston Review, The Good Society, The International Journal of Restorative Justice (where he is an Associate Editor), and National Civic Review (where he is a Contributing Editor).

Carolyn M. Hendriks is a Professor and Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. She undertakes engaged interpretive social research that brings democratic practice into dialogue with political theory. Carolyn has published widely on democratic aspects of contemporary governance, including participation, deliberation, inclusion, listening and representation. Her recent research explores how citizens themselves are leading collective problem-solving efforts to address governance voids or to repair dysfunctional institutions. In 2024 Carolyn was awarded a 4-year ARC Future Fellowship on strengthening contemporary political representation.