Democratic Theory: Mediation, Power and Contemporary Governance

Abstract: Democratic theory as a discourse is undergoing a significant, and global, revitalization. Its literature poses a number of difficult questions and paradoxes. The purpose of this section is to explore a number of these contemporary issues that are now visible in the democratic theory discourse. Better understanding these questions and problems may lead to significant improvements for today’s democratic politics. This section will present four panels on contemporary topics in democratic theory. The organizing body for this section is the new journal called 'Democratic Theory' which is published by Berghahn (Oxford and New York - http://journals.berghahnbooks.com/dt/). The four panels are as follows: (1) mediation and democracy, (2) coercive measures in democracy, (3) the dialectic between mechanisms of transparency and secrecy, and (4) new lateral governance.