Who´s in charge here?

The governance model for western societies is in crisis. The basic pillars which support representative democracy are increasingly called into question by their inhabitants. Many voters feel that their preferences are not sufficiently taken into account by politicians and become open to alternative means for channelling their demands; for their part, governments complain about the ever greater obstacles and restrictions which they need to overcome when they try to carry out their policies; while the founding principles of the separation of powers, majority governments and democratic accountability are increasingly being eroded.

Between spring of 2016 and spring 2017 Felipe González took over the José Bonifacio Chair, an academic programme at the University of São Paulo at the initiative of the Ibero-American Centre (CIBA). Who´s in charge here? Brings together the work of several specialists (José Fernández-Albertos, Gerson Damiani, Víctor Lapuente Giné, Ignacio Molina, Roberto Gargarella, Rafael Jiménez Asensio, Berta Barbet, Juan Rodríguez Teruel, Kelly Komatsu Agyopan, Alberto Penadés and Wagner Pinheiro Pereira along with Felipe González himself) who seek to shed light on these problems while offering solutions which are organised around the four blocks on which the Chair is structured.