Description

Why elites always rule democracies—and why recognizing that reality can help us respond to the crisis of democracy todayA central paradox of democracies is that they are always ruled by elites. What can democracy mean in this context? Today, it is often said that a populist revolt against elites is driving democratic politics throughout the West. But in Elites and Democracy, Hugo Drochon argues that democracy is more accurately and usefully understood as a perpetual struggle among competing elites—between rising elites and ruling elites. Real political change comes from the interaction between social movements and elite political institutions such as parties. But, although true democracy—the rule of the people—may never be achieved, striving towards it can bring about worthwhile democratic results.At the turn of the twentieth century, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels put forward “elite” theories of democracy and gave us terms such as the “ruling class” and “elites” itself. Drawing on their work and tracing the history of democratic thought through figures such as Joseph Schumpeter, Robert Dahl, C. Wright Mills, and Raymond Aron, Elites and Democracy reveals that this fundamentally elitist basis of democracy—democracy understood as competition between elites—was there all along. The challenge is to think it anew.Moving away from procedural or principled conceptions of democracy, Elites and Democracy develops a dynamic theory of democracy, one grounded in movement. With current politics defined by a populist backlash against elites, dynamic democracy offers the tools we urgently need to understand our contemporary predicament and to act upon it.

Langue

en

Version

Couverture rigide

Date de sortie initiale

06 janvier 2026

Nombre de pages

296

Personnes impliquées

Auteur principal

Hugo Drochon

Editeur principal

Princeton University Press

Informations sur le fabricant

Nom du fabricant

Easy Access System Europe

Adresse électronique du fabricant

[email protected]

Informations sur le fabricant

Les informations du fabricant ne sont actuellement pas disponibles

Autres spécifications

Hauteur de l’emballage

26 mm

Hauteur du produit

26 cm

Largeur d’emballage

155 mm

Largeur du produit

155 mm

Livre d‘étude

Non

Longueur d’emballage

235 mm

Longueur du produit

235 mm

Poids de l’emballage

581 g

EAN

EAN

9780691181554

Sécurité des produits

Opérateur économique responsable dans l’UE

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Catégories

Hommes et société

Politique

Structure politique

Science politique et Théorie

Politique comparée

Démocratie

Livres

Livre, ebook ou livre audio ?

Livre

Disponibilité

Disponible à l’adresse suivante

Langue

Anglais

Type de livre

Hardcover