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9780815383512

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'Whelan has written one of the most comprehensive guides to democratic theory ever produced. The range of topics that are covered is extraordinary, and Whelan’s focus on the practice of democracy, as well as the theory, grounds the whole discussion in the real world of politics. The book will be an indispensable guide to students and scholars alike.'—Andrew Valls, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University 'This is just what we needed: A comprehensive, judicious, and analytically precise introduction to the core values and institutions of democracy for classroom use. Democratic theorists - and their students - owe Frederick Whelan a tremendous debt of gratitude.'—Melissa Ann Schwartzberg, Silver Professor of Politics, New York University 'Many books of democratic theory seek to vindicate one ideal of democracy in contrast to others. Whelan’s approach is very different. Starting with the institutions and procedures of actual democracies, Democracy in Theory and Practice seeks to explain how different ways of structuring our collective choices have developed, which values each can be seen to embody, and why each choice of an institution or structured practice is likely to systematically further some goals or values at the expense of others. Drawing on a lifetime of teaching and scholarship, Whelan covers a vast range of subjects, including many that normative theorists of democracy typically neglect (e.g. executive leadership, electoral and party systems, problems of representation and accountability, and tensions between democracy and bureaucracy). His realistic approach, constantly attuned to necessary tradeoffs and historical experience, allows him to build bridges—as used to be common but is now, alas, rare—among political theory, empirical political science, and comparative political history. The resulting work is unique in the field. Sober, erudite, judicious, and comprehensive, this will be both a fine resource for new students of democracy and an excellent reference work for experienced scholars.'—Andrew Sabl, University of Toronto

'Whelan has written one of the most comprehensive guides to democratic theory ever produced. The range of topics that are covered is extraordinary, and Whelan's focus on the practice of democracy, as well as the theory, grounds the whole discussion in the real world of politics. The book will be an indispensable guide to students and scholars alike.' - Andrew Valls, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University, author of Rethinking Racial Justice 'This is just what we needed: A comprehensive, judicious, and analytically precise introduction to the core values and institutions of democracy for classroom use. Democratic theorists - and their students - owe Frederick Whelan a tremendous debt of gratitude.' - Melissa Ann Schwartzberg, Silver Professor of Politics, New York University

'Whelan has written one of the most comprehensive guides to democratic theory ever produced. The range of topics that are covered is extraordinary, and Whelan's focus on the practice of democracy, as well as the theory, grounds the whole discussion in the real world of politics. The book will be an indispensable guide to students and scholars alike.' - Andrew Valls, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University

'Whelan has written one of the most comprehensive guides to democratic theory ever produced. The range of topics that are covered is extraordinary, and Whelan's focus on the practice of democracy, as well as the theory, grounds the whole discussion in the real world of politics. The book will be an indispensable guide to students and scholars alike.'-Andrew Valls, Associate Professor of Political Science, Oregon State University 'This is just what we needed: A comprehensive, judicious, and analytically precise introduction to the core values and institutions of democracy for classroom use. Democratic theorists - and their students - owe Frederick Whelan a tremendous debt of gratitude.'-Melissa Ann Schwartzberg, Silver Professor of Politics, New York University 'Many books of democratic theory seek to vindicate one ideal of democracy in contrast to others. Whelan's approach is very different. Starting with the institutions and procedures of actual democracies, Democracy in Theory and Practice seeks to explain how different ways of structuring our collective choices have developed, which values each can be seen to embody, and why each choice of an institution or structured practice is likely to systematically further some goals or values at the expense of others. Drawing on a lifetime of teaching and scholarship, Whelan covers a vast range of subjects, including many that normative theorists of democracy typically neglect (e.g. executive leadership, electoral and party systems, problems of representation and accountability, and tensions between democracy and bureaucracy). His realistic approach, constantly attuned to necessary tradeoffs and historical experience, allows him to build bridges-as used to be common but is now, alas, rare-among political theory, empirical political science, and comparative political history. The resulting work is unique in the field. Sober, erudite, judicious, and comprehensive, this will be both a fine resource for new students of democracy and an excellent reference work for experienced scholars.'-Andrew Sabl, University of Toronto

Author Information

Frederick G. Whelan is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught historical and democratic political theory.

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