Re-inventing Democracy

The Institute for Social Inventions is publishing 'Re-Inventing Democracy', a book by Dr David Chapman of the Democracy Design Forum, in the the Spring of '93. It can be reserved now for £8-95 including p&p (libraries and instutions £13-95). The book carries on from where his previous book 'Can Civil Wars be Avoided?' left off, and covers a number of innovative electoral and constitutional arrangements, with examples given of how these would apply in the world's trouble spots: the Balkans, the ex-Soviet Union, Northern Ireland and South Africa.

'Cantonisation certainly seems to be forming the basis of the various plans for Bosnia'

As regular journal readers may remember, the Institute initiated a working seminar for Eastern European politicians and constitution designers in Switzerland in 1989 and co-organised another such seminar in Malta later in the same year, from which Chapman's book arose. One of the key participants in the Malta seminar was Hanna Suchocka, who subsequently became prime minister of Poland. It is to be hoped that the Swiss cantonisation theme of the seminar (and of the East Europe Constitution Design Form which developed from it) has influenced the thinking of politicians in the region. Cantonisation certainly seems to be forming the basis of the various plans for Bosnia - without, unfortunately, the additional element of electoral systems designed to encourage the development of multi-ethnic government.

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