Challenging the common assumption that models of direct democracy and representative democracy are necessarily at odds, Direct Democracy Worldwide demonstrates how practices of direct and representative democracy interact under different institutional settings and uncovers the conditions that allow them to coexist in a mutually reinforcing manner. Whereas citizen-initiated mechanisms of direct democracy can spur productive relationships between citizens and political parties, other mechanisms of direct democracy often help leaders bypass other representative institutions, undermining republican checks and balances. The book also demonstrates that the embrace of direct democracy is costly, may generate uncertainties and inconsistencies, and can be manipulated. Nonetheless, the promise of direct democracy should not be dismissed. Direct democracy is much more than a simple, pragmatic second choice when representative democracy seems not to be working as expected. Properly designed, it ca
Beginning two days before the double wedding of Darcy and Bingley to the Bennett sisters, a continuation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" finds Darcy's gift of a copy of the "Kama Sutra" to Bing
Did you ever wish you knew the secret to bouncing back from life's toughest roadblocks, wounds, and obstacles? According to psychotherapist, international mindfulness teacher, and former Buddhist monk
A Harvard-trained economist and author of Neoconomy makes 12 cautionary predictions about financial prospects for the next few decades, sharing recommendations for how individuals, business and govern
A Harvard-trained economist and author of Neoconomy makes 12 cautionary predictions about financial prospects for the next few decades, sharing recommendations for how individuals, business and govern
The first and only encyclopedia to focus on the economic and financial behaviors of consumers, investors, and organizations, including an exploration of how people make good—and bad—economic decisions
An honest, funny, neurotic, and totally gross love child of Mindy Kaling and Mary Roach.Mara Altman's volatile and apprehensive relationship with her body has led her to wonder about a lot of stuff ov
When we experience the powerful force of a waterfall, the elusive beauty of a rainbow, or the stark strength of a craggy expanse of cliff many of us have perceived "something else" t
By turns uproarious and touching, the memoir of a young woman's search for an orgasm—and for the elusive connections between sex and love Twenty-six-year-old Mara Altman wanted to know wha
In this intriguing book, social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families. They describe how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in various facets of everyday life, including courtship, weddings, honeymoons, adjustments to a new life, living arrangements, and the husband's rotation among his wives. Other important topics include budget and resource management, psychological attachments to homes, and the social-emotional relationships between family members. This pioneering, comprehensive analysis of life in modern day Mormon polygamous families uses first-hand interviews and observations to describe this unusual family lifestyle. It adds to our understanding of close relationships and complements knowledge on other modern relationship forms, such as single-parent families, blended families, and cohabiting partners.
In 1995, Neil Altman did what few psychoanalysts did or even dared to do: He brought the theory and practice of psychoanalysis out of the cozy confines of the consulting room and into the realms of th
Every day hundreds of human beings board long-haul flights to India on extended breaks from their everyday lives, in search of something seemingly easy to find: themselves. That quixotic quest for und
