Democratic Theory and Contemporary Governance In the first Discussion of this week, you considered how the philosophies of early theorists influenced modern democratic theory. Now you will explain the concept of democratic theory and weigh its impact on modern democratic governance. It is interesting to note that contemporary debates about governance are largely modern manifestations of ancient controversies. For instance, many current land-use controversies involve a conflict between an individual’s right to private property versus the state’s right to protect the public welfare. The details of the conflict may change over time from something as fundamental as the keeping of pigs in early times to more technical issues such as the placement of cellular transmission towers in modern times, but the underlying principles remain the same. Within the realm of governance and public policy, this example illustrates the point made in the proverbial saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” To prepare for this Discussion: Review the article “American Nightmare: Neoliberalism, Neoconservatism, and De-Democratization” in this week’s Learning Resources. Reflect on the various meanings of democracy and how they might apply to contemporary governance. Review the article “Rhetoric and the Public Sphere: Has Deliberative Democracy Abandoned Mass Democracy?” in this week’s Learning Resources. Pay particular attention to how the concept of deliberative democracy applies to contemporary governance. Think about the impact of democratic theory on contemporary governance. With these thoughts in mind: Post by Day 4 your thoughts on how democratic theory has impacted contemporary governance. Be sure to include in your post an analysis of democratic theory. Also, provide specific examples to illustrate your point of view. Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. .

1. Democratic Theory and Contemporary Governance
In the first Discussion of this week, you considered how the
philosophies of early theorists influenced modern democratic
theory. Now you will explain the concept of democratic theory
and weigh its impact on modern democratic governance. It is
interesting to note that contemporary debates about governance
are largely modern manifestations of ancient controversies. For
instance, many current land-use controversies involve a conflict
between an individual’s right to private property versus the
state’s right to protect the public welfare. The details of the
conflict may change over time from something as fundamental
as the keeping of pigs in early times to more technical issues
such as the placement of cellular transmission towers in modern
times, but the underlying principles remain the same. Within the
realm of governance and public policy, this example illustrates
the point made in the proverbial saying, “The more things
change, the more they stay the same.”
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the article “American Nightmare: Neoliberalism,
Neoconservatism, and De-Democratization” in this week’s
Learning Resources. Reflect on the various meanings of
democracy and how they might apply to contemporary
governance.
Review the article “Rhetoric and the Public Sphere: Has
Deliberative Democracy Abandoned Mass Democracy?” in this
week’s Learning Resources. Pay particular attention to how the
concept of deliberative democracy applies to contemporary
governance.
Think about the impact of democratic theory on contemporary
governance.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4
your thoughts on how democratic theory has impacted
contemporary governance. Be sure to include in your post an
analysis of democratic theory. Also, provide specific examples

2. to illustrate your point of view.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific
references to the Learning Resources.