International Democracy and the West: The Role of Governments, Civil Society, and Multinational Business

by Richard Youngs

Overview

This book adds to debates over the international dimensions of democratic change by studying the policies and actions of three sets of Western actors: namely, governments, multinational companies, and international NGOs. This actor-based triangular approach responds to observations that the strategic, economic, and social aspects of international democracy have rarely been studied in a combined, holistic fashion. During the 1990s, Western governments, multinational companies, and civil society organizations all came to engage more notably in debates over democratic trends. But were they genuine when they professed a concern with democracy in developing countries? Which of these dynamics - governmental, commercial, or social - was the most influential in propelling efforts to encourage democratization and which helped explain the limits to democracy's international reach? Did political, economic, and social actors form a broad network of international democratic momentum, or did their respective perspectives increasingly diverge? Exploring these questions, the book presents extensive empirical material relating to Western policies in a number of developing regions, covering the period from the mid-1990s to 2003.

Oxford Studies in Democratization is a series for scholars and students of comparative politics and related disciplines. Volumes concentrate on the comparative study of the democratization process that accompanied the decline and termination of the cold war. The geographical focus of the series is primarily Latin America, the Caribbean, Southern and Eastern Europe, and relevant experiences in Africa and Asia. The series editor is Laurence Whitehead, Official Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199274468
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/13/2005
Series:	Oxford Studies in Democratization
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

University of Warwick

Table of Contents

1. A Composite Perspective on International Democracy
2. Democracy and Western Strategic Interests
3. International Business and Democracy
4. Civil Society and Democracy Promotion
Conclusions
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"nternational Democracy and the West illuminates very nicely the complexities of promoting Western-style democracy. Youngs' account of the variety of opinions and positions will be useful to many students of democratization."—International Studies Review

From the Publisher