Robert A. Dahl

Publisher Fact Sheet In this accessible & authoritative book, an eminent political theorist provides a primer on democracy that clarifies what it is, why it is valuable, how it works, & what challenges it confronts in the future. Since its original publication in 1999, the book has been translated or is being translated in more than a dozen foreign languages.

On Democracy

"After the Revolution? is brief, tight, and to the point. . . . With its unusual clarity, it is a useful text for anyone concerned with politics today."--American Notes & Queries (on the first edition) "It is not often that a learned man puts down so simply, clearly, and briefly the essence of what he understands about a subject. I have gone from problems to proffered solutions with only a glimmering of the principles Professor Dahl sets down so lucidly, but as he describes them they form a perfectly congruent part of the pattern."--John W. Gardner (on the first edition) In this classic book, one of the world's most distinguished political scientists discusses the problems, strengths, and weaknesses of democracy as a method of decision making for modern governments. Robert A. Dahl examines the principles on which the authority of democratic government rests, the question of who "the people" should be in the concept of "rule by the people," and the kinds of democracy that fit different situations. In a new chapter Dahl acknowledges the importance of market-oriented economies to democratic institutions but advises newly democratic governments to adopt a system in which unregulated markets are modified by a certain amount of governmental intervention.

Authority in a Good Society, Revised Edition

After the Revolution?

Demokratiya haqqında

Sulla democrazia

In this provocative book, one of our most eminent political scientists questions the extent to which the American Constitution furthers democratic goals. Robert Dahl reveals the Constitution's potentially antidemocratic elements and explains why they are there, compares the American constitutional system to other democratic systems, and explores how we might alter our political system to achieve greater equality among citizens. In a new chapter for this second edition, he shows how increasing differences in state populations revealed by the Census of 2000 have further increased the veto power over constitutional amendments held by a tiny minority of Americans. He then explores the prospects for changing some important political practices that are not prescribed by the written Constitution, though most Americans may assume them to be so.

Second Edition

How Democratic Is the American Constitution?

Roald Dahl

Edward R. Tufte

Size and Democracy

In this work, one of the most celebrated political scientists of the 20th century offers a powerful interpretation of the location of political power in American urban communities.

Democracy and Power in an American City

Who Governs?

Robert A.. Dahl

Robert Dahl's Preface helped launch democratic theory fifty years ago as a new area of study in political science, and it remains the standard introduction to the field. Exploring problems that had been left unsolved by traditional thought on democracy, Dahl here examines two influential models--the Madisonian, which represents prevailing American doctrine, and its recurring challenger, populist theory--arguing that they do not accurately portray how modern democracies operate. He then constructs a model more consistent with how contemporary democracies actually function, and, in doing so, develops some original views of popular sovereignty and the American constitutional system.

A Preface to Democratic Theory

An Essay

The New American Political (dis)order

"A tightly woven explanation of the conditions under which cultures that do not tolerate political opposition may be transformed into societies that do."—Foreign Affairs "[Dahl's] analysis is lucid, perceptive, and thorough."—Times Literary Supplement Amidst all the emotional uproar about democracy and the widespread talk of revolution comes this clear call to reason—a mind-stretching book that equips the young and the old suddenly to see an ageless problem of society in a new and exciting way. Everything Dahl says can be applied in a fascinating way to the governing of any human enterprise involving more than one person—whether it is a nation-state, a political party, a business firm, or a university.

Participation and Opposition

Polyarchy

Robert Dahl’s Preface helped launch democratic theory fifty years ago as a new area of study in political science, and it remains the standard introduction to the field. Exploring problems that had been left unsolved by traditional thought on democracy, Dahl here examines two influential models—the Madisonian, which represents prevailing American doctrine, and its recurring challenger, populist theory—arguing that they do not accurately portray how modern democracies operate. He then constructs a model more consistent with how contemporary democracies actually function, and, in doing so, develops some original views of popular sovereignty and the American constitutional system. For this fiftieth-anniversary edition, Dahl has written an extensive new afterword that reevaluates Madisonian theory in light of recent research. And in a new foreword, he reflects back on his influential volume and the ways his views have evolved since he wrote it. For any student or scholar of political science, this new material is an essential update on a gold standard in the evolving field of democratic theory. “A Preface to Democratic Theory is well worth the devoted attention of anyone who cares about democracy.”—Political Science Quarterly

A Preface to Democratic Theory, Expanded Edition

“Continuing his career-long exploration of modern democracy, Dahl addresses a question that has long vexed students of political theory: the place of independent organizations, associations, or special interest groups within the democratic state.”—The Wilson Quarterly“There is probably no greater expert today on the subject of democratic theory than Dahl….His proposal for an ultimate adoption here of a ‘decentralized socialist economy,’ a system primarily of worker ownership and control of economic production, is daring but rational, reflecting his view that economic inequality seems destined to become the major issue here it historically has been in Europe.”—Library Journal“Dahl reaffirms his commitment to pluralist democracy while attempting to come to terms with some of its defects.”—Laura Greyson, Worldview“Anyone who is interested in these issues and who makes the effort the book requires will come away the better for it. And more. He will receive an explanation for our current difficulties that differs considerably from the explanation for our current difficulties that differs considerably from the explanation offered by the Reagan administration, and a prescription for the future which differs fundamentally from the nostrums emanating from the White House.”—Dennis Carrigan, The (Louisville, Kentucky) Courier-Journal

Autonomy vs. Control

Dilemmas of Pluralist Democracy

For this fiftieth-anniversary edition, Dahl has written an extensive new afterword that reevaluates Madisonian theory in light of recent research. And in a new foreword, he reflects back on his influential volume and the ways his views have evolved since he wrote it. For any student or scholar of political science, this new material is an essential update on a gold standard in the evolving field of democratic theory.

Robert A. Dahl

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