{"product_id":"participatory-democracy-1","title":"Participatory Democracy","description":"In\n\u003ci\u003eParticipatory Democracy: The\nCase of Parish Development Committees in Jamaica\u003c\/i\u003e, Marc Anthony\nThomas expands the existing knowledge on participatory democracy. Parish development\ncommittees were established as a means for Jamaicans to inform government\npolicy, and Thomas explores the extent to which supportive institutional, infrastructural\nand superstructural conditions allow for robust implementation of this\ndemocratization initiative. His analysis is bolstered by an appreciation of the\nemancipatory politics employed by the country’s general population since\nslavery not only to survive oppression, but also to influence the nation’s\npolitical agenda. Riots during slavery and in the present day, for example,\nhave offered citizens an avenue towards self-determination.\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe democratization initiative symbolized by parish\ndevelopment committees promotes inclusiveness yet is led predominantly by\nolder, educated middle-class individuals with talents and capacities garnered\nfrom several years of experience in various fields. Thomas argues that the\nopportunity cost of a more inclusive order explains this fact, in that\nJamaica’s finite resources mean there is limited space for a learning curve and\nthe cash-strapped committees have only been able to survive when their members\ncould help to defray the cost of their operations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy observing more than one hundred hours of\nparish development committee activities and interviewing sixty key informants\nand four focus groups, Thomas finds that the emergence, survival and thriving\nof parish development committees in Jamaica is determined largely by the extent\nto which emancipatory political tactics are successfully applied by committee stakeholders\nto combat a number of continuing challenges. His analysis provides a\nmicro-scale view of the interaction of factors that have shaped the power and\npossibility of Jamaica’s democratization initiative.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of the West Indies Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57259445944664,"sku":"9789766408541","price":43.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9789766408541_b6464898-cc40-460a-8c0f-07a5e9690dd4.jpg?v=1778805037","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/participatory-democracy-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}