The Principles of Representative Government
The Principles of Representative Government
The thesis of this original and provocative book is that representative government should be understood as a combination of democratic and undemocratic elements. Challenging the conventionally held views on the subject, Professor Manin reminds us that while today representative institutions and democracy appear as virtually indistinguishable, when representative government was first established in Europe and America, it was designed in opposition to democracy proper. The author identifies the essential features of democratic institutions and reviews the history of their application.
- Surveys and contrasts modern representative democracies with their antecedents
- Offers an original account of the establishment of representative assemblies with stress on the 1787 US constitution
- Investigates hitherto overlooked aspects of democratic institutions
Reviews & endorsements
"This is an especially useful source for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students of political theory and comparative government." J.D. Robertson, Choice
"The great strength of this book is that it takes seriously the issue Rousseau raised, probing deeply the complex relationship between representative governments and the ideal of democracy. Ranging widely over Athenian democracy, Western political thought, and recetn political practice, Manin serves capably as historian, political philosopher, and political scientist. The result is an easily readable, thoughtful exploration both of the principles underlying representative government and of the complex connection between those principles and democratic ideals." Ethics
"Manin's account of representitive government as a mixed political institution is an original and important contribution to political theory and political science. It deserves widespread attention and should inspire us to take a fresh look at some of our most familiar political practices." Bernard Yack, The Review of Politics
Product details
February 1997Hardback
9780521452588
256 pages
229 × 152 × 19 mm
0.55kg
1 table
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Direct democracy and representation: selection of officials in Athens
- 2. The triumph of election
- 3. The principle of distinction
- 4. A democratic aristocracy
- 5. The verdict of the people
- 6. Metamorphoses of representative government
- Conclusion
- Index.
