"David Beetham's writings on democracy have long been recognized for their acute combination of normative and institutional concerns, but this collection makes clearer than ever the driving force behind his work. Never one to shelter behind notions of essential contestation or irresoluble difference, he brings an exemplary clarity to the understanding of democracy and human rights and addresses the conditions under which these can thrive. This book cuts through much current confusion. In doing so, it provides us with many of the tools we need to make our democracies work." Anne Phillips, London School of Economics and Political Science