On Democracy FROM OUR EDITORS
The last half of the 20th century was an era of democratic triumph. The main antidemocratic regimes -- communist, fascist, Nazi -- disappeared, and new democracies emerged vigorously or tentatively throughout the world. In On Democracy, one of the most prominent political theorists of our time provides a primer on democracy that clarifies what it is, why it is valuable, how it works, and what challenges it confronts in the future.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The last half of the twentieth century has been an era of democratic triumph. The main antidemocratic regimes—communist, fascist, Nazi—have disappeared, and new democracies are emerging vigorously or tentatively throughout the world. In this accessible and authoritative book, one of the most prominent political theorists of our time provides a primer on democracy that clarifies what it is, why it is valuable, how it works, and what challenges it confronts in the future.
Robert Dahl begins with an overview of the early history of democracy. He goes on to discuss differences among democracies, criteria for a democratic process, basic institutions necessary for advancing the goals of democracy, and the social and economic conditions that favor the development and maintenance of these institutions. Along the way, he illustrates his points by describing different democratic countries, explaining, for example, why India, which seems to lack most of the conditions for a stable democracy, is nevertheless able to sustain one. Dahl answers such puzzling questions as why market- capitalism can both favor and harm democracy. And he concludes by examining the major problems that democratic countries will face in the twenty-first century, problems that will arise from complexities in the economic order, from internationalization, from cultural diversity, and from the difficulty of achieving an adequate level of citizen competence.
About the Author:
Robert A. Dahl, Sterling Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Yale University, is also author of Who Governs? After the Revolution, Polyarchy, Dilemmas of Pluralist Democracy, and Democracy and Its Critics, all available from Yale University Press.
SYNOPSIS
In this accessible and authoritative book, an eminent political theorist provides a primer on democracy that clarifies what it is, why it is valuable, how it works, and what challenges it confronts in the future.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
[A] thorough but concise handbook by one of America's foremost political scientists. . . . Dahl nimbly sketches the various issues and neatly frames controversies for the reader. His accessible style makes this an excellent introduction for novices, as well as a trusty handbook for experts and political science mavens.
Virginia Quarterly Review
As one of the most impressive scholars of our time, and as the authority in the discipline, it is of great importance that Dahl offers this tract on democracy. In a style many will find accessible, Dahl focuses on the questions he has considered over his long and distinguished career. . . . Any one who is a Democrat must read this book. Not only does it provide the analytical leverage for understanding the process of democratization ongoing in numerous countries, but it also turns and introspective and critical eye on the old democracies of Europe and North America.
Alan Wolfe - ( Commonwealth)
On Democracy is a work which ought to be read, especially by those interested in a clear, concise, and always insightful introduction to what we all too often take for granted. Democracy, as Dahl, one of the great democratic theorists of our time, often reminds us, is hard work and one of the most important aspects of that work is bringing the kind of commitments to its understanding that Dahl achieves here.
Marc F. Plattner
[Dahl]...offers a "guide" to those "searching for answers to some of the most basic questions about democracy"....on the whole Dahl does a commendable job of presenting a complex topic in a clear, concise and common-sensical manner...accessible to the general reader. -- The New York Times Book Review
Kirkus Reviews
An edifying if uninspiring primer on the theory and practice of democracy. During the last half of the 20th century, democracy has emerged triumphant as a political system, its rivals having disappeared or been relegated to a few dark corners of the globe. Yet what is democracy? Yale political scientist Dahl (A Preface to Economic Democracy) addresses this question in a slim volume written not for experts but for the general reader. After a brief history of the development of democracy, the author offers a theoretical analysis and defense of democracy and then a study of the actual institutions, social conditions, and political attitudes that seem necessary for democracy to thrive. In theory, democracy necessitates participation, equality in voting, citizen understanding of issues and control over the political agenda. In practice, those systems based on elected representation, fair and frequent elections, freedom of expression, associational autonomy, and inclusive citizenship offer the best hope of realizing the democratic ideal. Dahl moves from the ideal to the real in incremental steps, carefully defining each of his terms and linking them to previous terms. His discussion of the positive and negative roles the free market plays in sustaining democracy is particularly cogent. What emerges is a clear, understandable overview of democracy. It's all very dry, however. Dahl's focus on logic and clarity of terms captures the form of democracy but not the content of it as a dramatic and exciting ongoing struggle. Democracy here is more a set of definitions than a process. Also, Dahl's focus on the Western experience, from ancient Greece and Rome to today, excludes much. Missing, forinstance, is any historical account of the democratic practices of some native peoples of North America. He strongly implies British rule in India set the stage for democracy there but doesn't search for any indigenous roots. A more inclusive approach might have served the author's purposes better.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
This elegantly written handbook on democracy will be widely read. It is vintage Dahl. — Michael Walzer
Dahl presents a powerful overview of democracy in an astonishingly compact discussion. — James S. Fishkin
Completely accessible, admirably succinct, intelligent, and even wise, On Democracy offers the ideal overview of the worst form of government except all others. Robert Dahl masterfully guides the general reader through a tour of the origins, ideals, actualities, and potentialities of democratic government. Even sophisticated students of democracy can learn a lot on this tour.
—:(Amy Gutman, author of Democracy and Disagreement (with Dennis Thompson)). — Amy Gutman
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