There is a widening gap between democracy as a theory and its practice. If viewed not as an end in itself but a means to good governance, how has democracy fared? While supposedly a solution to the problems of the developing world, in reality it has more often led to civil wars, factionalism, violence, fundamentalism and corruption. Even in the developed world, the system has fallen into a decay. Drawing upon the experience of a vast number of countries, the book is a compelling rediscovery of the underlying reasons for democracy's shortfalls and proposes a way forward that is progressive as well as pragmatic!