Why bother with elections?
By: Adam Przeworski
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 141
ISBN-13: 9781509526598; 9781509526604
Subjects: Representative government and representation; Practical Politics; Political culture; Elections
Description: "With the collapse of traditional parties around the world and with many pundits predicting a "crisis of democracy", the value of elections as a method for selecting by whom and how we are governed is being questioned. What are the virtues and weaknesses of elections? Are there limitations to what they can realistically achieve? In this deeply informed book world-renowned democratic theorist Adam Przeworski offers a warts-and-all analysis of elections and the ways in which they affect our lives. Elections, he argues, are inherently imperfect but they remain the least bad way of choosing our rulers. According to Przeworski, the greatest value of elections, by itself sufficient to cherish them, is that they process whatever conflicts may arise in society in a way that maintains relative liberty and peace. Whether they succeed in doing so in today's turbulent political climate remains to be seen."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-141).
Table of contents: title: Introduction -- Part I.; title: How elections work.; title: The idea of electing governments --; title: Protecting property --; title: Jockeying for partisan advantage -- -- Conclusion:; title: What is inherent in elections? -- -- Part II.; title: What elections can and cannot achieve. -- Introduction to Part II; title: Rationality --; title: Representation, accountability, and control over governments --; title: Economic performance --; title: Economic and social equality --; title: Civil peace ---- Conclusions.