Democratic decision-making : historical and contemporary perspectives / edited by David Lewis Schaefer.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Schaefer, David Lewis, 1943-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Deliberative democracy.

Democracy--Decision making.

Democracy.

Decision making.

Physical Description:

x, 181 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, [2012]

Summary:

Democratic statesmanship, the extent to which limitations of the democratic principle of majority rule are desirable, the contemporary doctrine of "deliberative democracy," and informal modes of democratic decision-making are all addressed in this comprehensive discussion by eight political scientists on various aspects of the decision-making process within American democracy. The contributors discuss a wide variety of issues, including the practice of "political opportunism" by such statesmen as Hamilton and Madison and the historical development of legal restraints on democracy in America ranging from judicial review during the colonial period to the filibuster. This book addresses the operation of classical Athenian democracy, the defects of which may have been exaggerated by the American Founders, and the significance of the reflections of Tammany Hall boss George Washington Plunkitt for the development of the American party system. Additionally, David Lewis Schaefer brings together discussions of the merits of deliberative-democracy theory and its relation to the thought of Rousseau, and the means by which cooperative land-use agreements have been arrived at in California, eliciting the voluntary consent of the affected parties instead of relying on judicial or bureaucratic dictates. The book is well-suited for use in courses on American political thought, democratic theory, and American political development. Book jacket.

Contents:

Democratic leadership / William Galston

The political morality of constitutional opportunism / Peter McNamara

American innovations in democratic decision-making / Leslie Friedman Goldstein

In defense of democracy: anti-democratic sentiment and democratic deliberation from ancient Athens to the American founding / Dustin A. Gish

Deliberative democracy: the transformation of a political concept / David Lewis Schaefer

Democracy by constraint: the ideal of deliberative democracy in the light of Rousseau / Daniel Cullen

This is an awful serious proposition: George Washington Plunkitt in the context of nineteenth-century party nationalization / Daniel Klinghard

Habitat conservation plans: redesigning development through collaborative negotiations / Nancy Jimeno.

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

9780739142066

0739142062

9780739142080

0739142089

OCLC:

755698776