A Discussion of Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels' Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government

Liberal democracy is often viewed by its supporters as a system of government that responds to the informed and rational preferences of the public organized as voters. And liberal democracy is often viewed by its critics as a system that fails to respond to the informed and rational preferences of i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perspectives on politics 2017-03, Vol.15 (1), p.159-160
Main Author: Mares, Isabela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Citizens
Democracy
Democratization
Downs, Anthony
Elections
Energy
Inequality
Liberal democracy
Minority & ethnic groups
Political change
Political parties
Politics
Public policy
Review Symposium: Elections and Responsive Government
Supporters
Voter behavior
Voters
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Summary:Liberal democracy is often viewed by its supporters as a system of government that responds to the informed and rational preferences of the public organized as voters. And liberal democracy is often viewed by its critics as a system that fails to respond to the informed and rational preferences of its citizens. In this book Larry Bartels and Chris Achen draw on decades of research to argue that a “realistic” conception of democracy cannot be centered on the idea of a “rational voter,” and that the ills of contemporary democracies, and especially democracy in the U.S., must be sought in the dynamics that link voters, political parties and public policy in ways that reproduce inequality. “We believe,” write the authors, “that abandoning the folk theory of democracy is a prerequisite to both greater intellectual clarity and real political change. Too many democratic reformers have squandered their energy on misguided or quixotic ideas.”
ISSN:1537-5927
1541-0986
DOI:10.1017/S1537592716004266