Pechenyuk D. Benjamin Barber's Concept of Strong Democracy.

The thesis presents a critical analysis of B. Barber's concept of strong democracy, reveals its main positions and key ideas, and explores basic notions and philosophical and methodological foundations. The author studies the modern critique of scientific views of the American scholar, theoretical factors in the formation of his ideas, which include theoretical views of representatives of participatory approach J. Bernheim, J. Cole, C. Pateman etc., analyzes the possibility of implementation of the concept into practice. The paper reveals the content of basic concepts of the theory of strong democracy: political participation, common good, citizen, community, discussion; analyzes their cognitive relationship. In the context of the concept of strong democratic political systems in Switzerland and Ukraine are studied, the mechanisms of direct democracy (referendum, initiative) and their effectiveness are explored. B. Barber's ideas are considered as an important contribution to the development of the American political science in particular and the world political science in general.