Nations Under God: How Churches Use Moral Authority to Influence Policy - Couverture rigide

Grzymała-Busse, Anna M.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0691164754 ISBN 13 : 9780691164755

Editeur : Princeton University Press, 2015

Synopsis

Why churches in some democratic nations wield enormous political power while churches in other democracies don't

In some religious countries, churches have drafted constitutions, restricted abortion, and controlled education. In others, church influence on public policy is far weaker. Why? Nations under God argues that where religious and national identities have historically fused, churches gain enormous moral authority--and covert institutional access. These powerful churches then shape policy in backrooms and secret meetings instead of through open democratic channels such as political parties or the ballot box.

Through an in-depth historical analysis of six Christian democracies that share similar religious profiles yet differ in their policy outcomes--Ireland and Italy, Poland and Croatia, and the United States and Canada--Anna Grzymala-Busse examines how churches influenced education, abortion, divorce, stem cell research, and same-sex marriage. She argues that churches gain the greatest political advantage when they appear to be above politics. Because institutional access is covert, they retain their moral authority and their reputation as defenders of the national interest and the common good.

Nations under God shows how powerful church officials in Ireland, Canada, and Poland have directly written legislation, vetoed policies, and vetted high-ranking officials. It demonstrates that religiosity itself is not enough for churches to influence politics--churches in Italy and Croatia, for example, are not as influential as we might think--and that churches allied to political parties, such as in the United States, have less influence than their notoriety suggests.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Anna Grzymala-Busse is the Ronald and Eileen Weiser Professor of European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Michigan. Her books include Rebuilding Leviathan: Party Competition and State Exploitation in Post-Communist Democracies.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Princeton University Press
• Date d'édition: 2015
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0691164754
• ISBN 13: 9780691164755
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 440
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Princeton University Press; https://press.princeton.edu/books; ; 7th Floor, New South Building; PRINCETON; NJ; 8544; Etats-Unis
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