The Sciences of the Democracies

By Jean-Paul Gagnon

An exploration of democracy--and how we study it--in all its variations.

The Sciences of the Democracies issues a direct challenge to one of the most influential advice books on democracy ever published--the (in)famous "Trilateral Report" written in 1975, better known as The Crisis of Democracy--on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary. This collaborative project is ambitious, aiming not only to capture the great diversity of democratic practices and institutions but also to introduce a new theory of democracy altogether. The contributors propose a holistic approach to democracy that draws on five sources of knowledge: individual people, groups of people, non-textual media, texts, and non-humans. The outcome is both an innovative account of democratic history and a practical guide for future democracy scholars.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1800089031
• ISBN13: 9781800089037
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: UCL Press
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.