How democratic is democracy? We take pulse of today’s body politic and find the patient in an enfeebled state. This book explores how democracy is constricted and deformed by economic power-brokers and a self-serving political class, from Birmingham to Bangalore. A sterile consensus of technocrats, neo-liberals and spin-doctors worldwide has usurped the hopes for a democratic future. The book is also a guide to the rich diversity of forms of elected government ...