{"product_id":"9783032206909","title":"Buddhism and Deliberative Democracy","description":"\u003ch3\u003ePalgrave Studies in Religion, Politics, and Policy\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eBuddhism and Deliberative Democracy\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWilliam Long\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion \/ Religion, Politics \u0026amp; State\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_elementtoproof\"\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"\u003eIn this open-access book, William J. Long argues that the Buddhist saṅgha—whose governance the Buddha modeled in part on the republican assemblies of his era—was not only a religious community, but a sophisticated experiment in deliberative democracy. Designed as a self-governing polity, the saṅgha served as an exemplar for society in the Buddha’s time and offers a strikingly relevant model for our own. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp class=\"x_elementtoproof\"\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\"\u003eAt a moment when democracies around the world face declining effectiveness, political theorists increasingly turn to deliberative democracy as a remedy. This approach holds that democratic decisions become more legitimate, more informed, and more stable through the public exchange of reasons among free and equal citizens. Ideally, deliberation aims at reasoned consensus oriented toward the common good, rather than outcomes driven solely by power or competing self-interests. Yet nearly all contemporary accounts of deliberative democracy are Western in origin and largely confined to late twentieth- and twenty-first-century thought. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp class=\"x_elementtoproof\"\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\"\u003eBuddhism and Deliberative Democracy challenges this assumption. Drawing on canonical texts and historical practices, Long demonstrates that the early saṅgha institutionalized regular assemblies, open deliberation, and collective problem-solving among members who participated as equals across lines of class, caste, and—within historical limits—gender. Guided by the Vinaya, a detailed constitutional framework, saṅgha governance combined procedural rigor with a commitment to moral development, harmony, and the common good. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp class=\"x_elementtoproof\"\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\"\u003eLong interprets the Buddha’s teachings as a distinct and underappreciated contribution to political philosophy, presenting him as a rational, pragmatic, and deeply democratic thinker. In doing so, the book expands the intellectual foundations of deliberative democracy and invites a rethinking of its global and historical origin.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\"\u003eWilliam J. Long\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-ogsc=\"rgb(23, 78, 134)\"\u003e is Professor of Political Science at Georgia State University. He is the author of \u003cem data-ogsc=\"\"\u003eRadical Interdependence: A Buddhist Approach to International Relations\u003c\/em\u003e (2021), \u003cem data-ogsc=\"\"\u003eTantric State: A Buddhist Approach to Democracy and Development in Bhutan\u003c\/em\u003e (2019), and numerous other works.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e02 August 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWilliam Long\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePalgrave Macmillan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9783032206909\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHardback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e105\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"William Long","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46266528268428,"sku":"9783032206909","price":34.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/9783032206909_2a57fdd8-5638-423b-b56d-a2e8d86cf6e7.jpg?v=1780598013","url":"https:\/\/lateknightbooks.com\/products\/9783032206909","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}