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Aims and Scope
Democratic Theory is a peer-reviewed open access journal that encourages philosophical and interdisciplinary contributions that critically explore democratic theory—in all its forms. Spanning a range of views, the journal offers a cross-disciplinary forum for diverse theoretical questions to be put forward and systematically examined. It advances non-Western as well as Western ideas and is actively based on the premise that there are many forms of democracies and many types of democrats.
As a forum for debate, the journal challenges theorists to ask and answer the perennial questions that plague the field of democratization studies:
- Why is democracy so prominent in the world today? What is the meaning of democracy?
- Will democracy continue to expand?
- Are current forms of democracy sufficient to give voice to “the people” in an increasingly fragmented and divided world?
- Who leads in democracy?
- What types of non-Western democratic theories are there?
- Should democrats always defend democracy?
- Should democrats be fearful of de-democratization, post-democracies, and the rise of hybridized regimes?
For too long, the discourse of democracy has been colonized and predetermined by the West. Now more than ever there is a need to globalize—and by extension democratize—how we think about democracy: Democratic Theory provides the means for these essential debates to germinate and develop.
Types of Article
The journal accepts the following types of article:
- Research Article*
- Review Essay*
- Research Note*
- Book Symposium**
- Critical Commentary**
- Interview**
* For the purposes of Gold Open Access funding, this journal considers these article types to be research articles. All or part of the publication costs for these article types may be covered by one of the agreements Cambridge University Press has made to support open access. For authors not covered by an agreement, and without APC funding, please see this journal's open access options for instructions on how to request an APC waiver.
** No APCs are required for these article types.
Peer Review Process
For information on the journal’s peer review process, please click here.