Colin John Crouch, (born 1 March 1944) is an English
sociologist and
political scientist. He coined the
post-democracy The term ''post-democracy'' was used by Warwick University political scientist Colin Crouch in 2000 in his book ''Coping with Post-Democracy''. It designates states that operate by democratic systems (elections are held, governments fall, and ther ...
concept in 2000 in his book ''
Coping with Post-Democracy''. Colin Crouch is currently Emeritus Professor at the
University of Warwick and an External Scientific Member of the
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (German: ''Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung'', MPIfG) is a German social-science research institute within the Max Planck Society located in Cologne.
Established in 1985, it was ...
.
Biography
Crouch was born in
Isleworth
Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...
on 1 March 1944. He gained his BA at the
LSE and his doctorate at
Nuffield College, Oxford. In 1969, Crouch started as a lecturer in sociology at the London School of Economics.
[Prof. Colin Crouch's biography]
on Debrett's site.
From 1972 to 1973 he was a Lecturer at the
University of Bath and was Chair of the
Young Fabians. From 1973 to 1985 he was Lecturer and Reader in Sociology at the
London School of Economics and Political Science. Then, from 1985 to 1994 he was a Fellow of
Trinity College, Oxford, and Professor of Sociology at the
University of Oxford.
From 1995 to 2000 he was curator of their
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
.
[ From 1995 to 2004 he was Professor of Sociology and chaired the department of Political Science at the European University Institute of Florence.][ From 2005 until 2011 he was Professor of Governance and Public Management at Warwick Business School.][ In 2005, he was elected fellow of the British Academy. Since 2011 he has been Emeritus Professor at the International Centre for Governance and Public Management, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. He is also an External Scientific Member of the ]Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (German: ''Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung'', MPIfG) is a German social-science research institute within the Max Planck Society located in Cologne.
Established in 1985, it was ...
in Cologne.[
]
Post-democracy
Crouch coined the term ''post-democracy The term ''post-democracy'' was used by Warwick University political scientist Colin Crouch in 2000 in his book ''Coping with Post-Democracy''. It designates states that operate by democratic systems (elections are held, governments fall, and ther ...
'' in 2000 in his book ''Coping with Post-Democracy''. It designates states that are conducted by fully operating democratic systems (elections are being held, governments fall and there is freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
), but whose application is progressively limited. A small elite is making the tough decisions and co-opts the democratic institutions. Crouch developed the idea in an article called ''Is there a liberalism beyond social democracy?''[Colin Crouch]
Is there a liberalism beyond social democracy?
Policy Network, 5 May 2011. for the think tank Policy Network and in his subsequent book ''The Strange Non-Death of Neo-Liberalism''. The term appeared to define a running evolution within democracies during the 21st century and is polemical because it calls attention to recognized democracies losing some of their foundations and evolving towards an aristocratic regime.
See also
* Iron law of oligarchy
* Neonormalization
*Post-politics
Post-politics refers to the critique of the emergence, in the post-Cold War period, of a politics of consensus on a global scale: the dissolution of the Eastern Communist bloc following the collapse of the Berlin Wall instituted a promise for po ...
* Policy Network
Publications
* ''The Student Revolt'', Bodley Head, London 1970
* ''Class Conflict and the Industrial Relations Crisis'', Heineman, London 1977
* (Ed. with Alessandro Pizzorno) ''The Resourgence of Class Conflict in Western Europe Since 1968'', 2 Volumes. Mamillan. London 1978
* ''The Politics of Industrial Relations'', Fontana 1979
* ''Trade Unions: The Logic of Collective Action'', Fontana 1982
* ''Industrial Relations and European State Traditions'', Clarendon Press, Oxford 1993
* (Ed. with Wolfgang Streeck) ''The Political Economy of Modern Capitalism: Mapping Convergence and Diversity'', (1997)
* ''Post-democracy'', Polity Press, Cambridge 2005,
* ''The Strange Non-death of Neo-liberalism'', John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken 2011,
* ''Making Capitalism Fit for Society'', Polity Press, Cambridge 2013,
* ''The Knowledge Corrupters. Hidden Consequences of the Financial Takeover of Public Life'', Polity Press, Cambridge 2015,
* ''Post-democracy - After the Crisis'', Polity Press, 2020,
References
Further reading
* Colin Crouch: ''Post Democracy'', 2004,
* Jenny Hocking
Jennifer Jane Hocking is an Australian historian, political scientist and biographer. She is the inaugural Distinguished Whitlam Fellow with the Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University, Emeritus Professor at Monash University, and f ...
& Colleen Lewis
Colleen is an Irish language name and is of Irish origin and a generic term for women or girls, from the Irish '' cailín'' 'girl/woman', the diminutive of '' caile'' 'woman, countrywoman'.
Although it originates in the Irish language, Colleen ...
: ''Counter-Terrorism and the Post-Democratic State'', 2008,
External links
On Coping with "Post Democracy"
By Ernest Partridge. "The Online Gadfly", January 2001.
*
La emancipación según Jacques Rancière
">Jacques Rancière">La emancipación según Jacques Rancière
*
There is no Alternative
by Henry Farrell.
Why We Need A More Substantive European Democracy
by Colin Crouch. ''Social Europe'', 20 August 2014.
Interview with Colin Crouch about post-democracy on YouTube (mainly in English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crouch, Colin
1944 births
Living people
Academics of the University of Warwick
Academics of the London School of Economics
Academics of the University of Bath
Academics of the University of Oxford
European University Institute faculty
Fellows of the British Academy
British political scientists
Chairs of the Fabian Society
English sociologists