Democracy and its critics
- ISBN: 9780300049381
- Editorial: Yale University Press
- Fecha de la edición: 1991
- Lugar de la edición: New Haven. Estados Unidos de Norteamérica
- Encuadernación: Rústica
- Medidas: 24 cm
- Nº Pág.: 405
- Idiomas: Inglés
In this book, one of the most prominent political theorists of our era makes a statement about what democracy is and why it is important. Robert Dahl examines the most basic assumptions of democratic theory, tests them against the questions raised by its critics, and recasts the theory of democracy in a new and coherent whole. He concludes by discussing the directions in which democracy must move if advanced democratic states are to exist in the future.
Part one: The sources of modern democracy
The first transformation : to the democratic city-state
Toward the second transformation : republicanism, representation, and the logic of equality
Part two: Adversarial critics. Anarchism
Guardianship
A critique of guardianship
Part three: A theory of the democratic process
Justifications : the idea of equal intrinsic worth
Personal autonomy
A theory of the democratic process
The problem of inclusion
Part four: Problems in the democratic process
Majority rule and the democratic process
Is there a better alternative?
Process and substance
Process versus process
When is a people entitled to the democratic process?
Part five: The limits and possibilities of democracy
The second democratic transformation : from the city-state to the nation-state
Democracy, polyarchy, and participation
How polyarchy developed in some countries and not others
Why polyarchy developed in some countries and not others
Is minority domination inevitable?
Pluralism, polyarchy, and the common good
The common good as process and substance
Part six: Toward a third transformation
Democracy in tomorrow's world
Sketches for an advanced democratic country
