Democratic Autonomy by Richardson

Democratic Autonomy by Richardson

Democratic Autonomyargues that in a legitimate, democratic government, we must rule ourselves by reasoning with one another. Henry Richardson builds a convincing case for a qualified populism and for a strong form of delibrative democracy based on liberal and republican premises.

"Democratic Autonomy offers a sophisticated, closely argued account of democratic reasoning, both as a norm and as institutional practiceRichardson shows that we can hope to bridge even deep disagreements over ends through a process of principled compromise. He rebuts the naive view that legislatures delegate only narrow technical questions of means to administrative agencies. The author demonstrates that if we are serious about democracy, we must find ways of extending effective citizen participation into arenas now dominated by bureaucratic rule-making. This book is a must for all readers interested in the theory and practice of modern democracy."--William A. Galston, Director, Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, University of Maryland
"In Democratic Autonomy Richardson applies his important work about deliberative practical reasoning and the "specification of ends" to a major problem in democratic theory and practice: How can a modern society that must depend on the expertise of administrative agencies still be a democracy, characterized by genuine self-rule? Written in a clear and accessible style, the book should be required reading, not only for theorists of democracy and public choice, but also for policy makers and legislators."--Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago
"This wonderful book articulates an ideal of democratic rule grounded in the republican tradition of thought; details the practice of deliberation - incorporating a division of deliberative labour - that this ideal requires; and then illustrates the shape that this practice would dictate for every aspect of government, from the electoral to the bureaucratic. It is a fresh and invigorating contribution to democratic theory and deserves to have a transforming effect on the subject."--Philip Pettit, Princeton University
"This is a stunningly good book. Professor Richardson has enriched Democratic Autonomy with more concrete detail and a better-informed apprehension of how the modern administrative state actually functions, than one finds in most works of political philosophy. It is still philosophy, however, but in the best sense - a finely crafted rigorous argument about deliberation, freedom, and collective decision-procedures. As a result, it offers a more convincing vindication of the idea of popular self-government for modern society than any work of democratic theory published in recent years."-- Jeremy Waldron, Maurice & Hilda Friedman Professor of Law, and Director of the Center for Law and Philosophy, Columbia Law School

Bruce R. Douglass, Gerald M. Mara, Henry S. Richardson

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195150919
ISBN 10	0195150910
Title	Democratic Autonomy
Author	Richardson
Series	Oxford Political Theory
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	2004-01-08
Number of pages	328
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.