For the People?

Abstract

Disquieting symptoms of democratic failure abound in America today with gridlocked political institutions, high levels of political polarization, and pressing but unresolved problems such as immigration, inequality, and gun violence. Are these the results of political institutions that cannot provide effective democratic representative? For the People takes a realistic look at American democracy by linking the findings of political scientists to the scrutiny of political theorists. Charles Beitz provides the core analysis showing that there are truly democratic failures (alternatively the misadventures of American politics could be due to changing times that would stress any system) and that there are possibilities for better democratic competition that could improve democratic representation. Additional chapters by a political scientist, Martin Gilens, a political theorist, Jane Mansbridge, and a lawyer, Pamela S. Karlan, sharpen the analysis by providing empirical results, additional standards for successful democracy, and concerns about two non-majoritarian American institutions, the Senate and the Electoral College. Beitz ends the book with a response to the three commentators.