The State of Democratic Theory

What does recent research tell us about how well democracies actuallycorrespond to the hopes and aspirations we have for them? In this wellcraftedand readable a... » 

What does recent research tell us about how well democracies actuallycorrespond to the hopes and aspirations we have for them? In this wellcraftedand readable analysis Ian Shapiro gives a sobering but not pessimistic answerto this question. A must read for democratic theorists and citizens alikeIris Young University of ChicagoShapiro delivers what the title suggests a survey of the issues mostdiscussed by political theorists and the main positions taken with plenty ofreferences to the literature for those who wish to pursue the subject further.But he succeeds in doing much more than this. If as he suggests the point ofdemocracy is to strengthen the position of the dispossessed and vulnerablethere is a lot wrong not only with the practice of democracy but with much ofthe theorizing about it. Indeed Shapiro argues that the most popular nostrumscurrently put forward by theorists would make matters worse. Even thosefamiliar with the literature discussed will be intrigued and challenged byShapiros analysis.Brian Barry Columbia UniversityThis book is smart erudite but accessible. The examples Shapiro draws on toillustrate his pointsSouth Africa the Middle East U.S. court casesgivethe argument immediacy and relevance. It makes a valuable contribution topolitical theory and should encourage political theorists to think about reallife politicsNancy Hirschmann University of PennsylvaniaShapiro articulates an incisive critique of deliberative theorythe reigningorthodoxy in contemporary normative theorizing about democracyin a way thatwill be accessible to an unusually broad audience of political theorists andsocial scientists students as well as scholars.Clarissa Rile Hayward OhioState University «