01492nam a2200181Ia 4500020001800000082002300018100002300041245006000064260004800124300001200172504001900184520097200203650004801175650003001223650002601253650001701279650001401296  a9781107171978  aRR 323.443 bSAU-F  aSaunders, Kevin W. 0aFree Expression and Democracyb: A Comparative Analysis  aCambridgebCambridge University Pressc2017  ax, 379p  aincludes index  aFree Expression and Democracy takes on the assumption that limits on free expression will lead to authoritarianism or at least a weakening of democracy. That hypothesis is tested by an examination of issues involving expression and their treatment in countries included on The Economist's list of fully functioning democracies. Generally speaking, other countries allow prohibitions on hate speech, limits on third-party spending on elections, and the protection of children from media influences seen as harmful. Many ban Holocaust denial and the desecration of national symbols. Yet, these other countries all remain democratic, and most of those considered rank more highly than the United States on the democracy index. This book argues that while there may be other cultural values that call for more expansive protection of expression, that protection need not reach the level present in the United States in order to protect the democratic nature of a country.  a Child and Political RightsvSocial aspects  a Freedom of Expressionv   a Freedom of Speechv   aCivil Rights  aDemocracy