CIVIC REPUBLICANISM

'Civic Republicanism' has returned to the fore in the effort to address critical contemporary issues such as citizenship, economic expansion and global interdependence. It is also one of the most important topics in political philosophy
Honohan here examines its central themes. Part One gives an account of the origins and development of civic republicanism. She explores the notion and sustainability of its historical tradition from Aristotle and Cicero through to Machiavelli, Rousseau and Madison, and highlights its contemporary revival in the works of Hannah Arendt and Charles Taylor. She discusses the theory's core concepts- civic virtue, freedom, participation and recognition- their roots in ancient Greece, and how they can be traced in its pattern of re-emergence.
In Part Two, Honohan explores the contemporary attraction of civic republicanism, and assesses its political and institutional implications. What is the nature of the common good? What does it mean to put public before private interests? And what does freedom mean in a republican state? She also addresses the relevance of civic republicanism to cultural diversity, environmental risk and economic globalization.