具体描述
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.
作者简介
目录信息
1. Direct democracy and representation: selection of officials in Athens;
2. The triumph of election;
3. The principle of distinction;
4. A democratic aristocracy;
5. The verdict of the people;
6. Metamorphoses of representative government;
Conclusion;
Index.
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读后感
用户评价
作者洞察到并详细讨论了民主政治中一些我们司空见惯但实际上并不平凡的元素
除了雅典的介绍其他比较无聊
除了雅典的介绍其他比较无聊
作者洞察到并详细讨论了民主政治中一些我们司空见惯但实际上并不平凡的元素
作者洞察到并详细讨论了民主政治中一些我们司空见惯但实际上并不平凡的元素
