THE PRINCIPLES OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT by Bernard Manin ( 9780521452588 )

Item Details

Title:

THE PRINCIPLES OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT

By:

Bernard Manin

Format:

Hardback

List price:

£74.00

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£64.75

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£9.25

ISBN 10:

0521452589

ISBN 13:

9780521452588

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Publisher:

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Pub. date:

28 February, 1997

Series:

Themes in the Social Sciences

Pages:

256

Description:

A survey of democratic institutions and republics reveals the aristocratic origins of democracy.

Synopsis:

The thesis of this original and provocative book is that representative government should be understood as a combination of democratic and undemocratic, aristocratic elements. Professor Manin challenges the conventional view that representative democracy is no more than an indirect form of government by the people, in which citizens elect representatives only because they cannot assemble and govern in person. The argument is developed by examining the historical moments when the present institutional arrangements were chosen from among the then available alternatives. 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. Drawing on the procedures used in earlier republican systems, from classical Athens to Renaissance Florence, in order to highlight the alternatives that were forsaken, Manin brings to the fore the generally overlooked results of representative mechanisms. These include the elitist aspect of elections and the non-binding character of campaign promises.

Illustrations:

1 table

Publication:

Imprint:

Cambridge University Press

Returns:

Returnable

Some other items by this author:

DEMOCRACY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REPRESENTATION

DEMOCRACY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REPRESENTATION (HB)

DEMOCRACY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REPRESENTATION (PB)

THE PRINCIPLES OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT