{"product_id":"elites-and-democracy-9780691181554","title":"Elites and Democracy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy elites always rule democracies--and why recognizing that reality can help us respond to the crisis of democracy today\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA central paradox of democracies is that they are always ruled by elites. What can democracy mean in this context? Today, it is often said that a populist revolt against elites is driving democratic politics throughout the West. But in \u003ci\u003eElites and Democracy\u003c\/i\u003e, Hugo Drochon argues that democracy is more accurately and usefully understood as a perpetual struggle among competing elites--between rising elites and ruling elites. Real political change comes from the interaction between social movements and elite political institutions such as parties. But, although true democracy--the rule of the people--may never be achieved, striving towards it can bring about worthwhile democratic results. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the turn of the twentieth century, Gaetano Mosca, Vilfredo Pareto, and Robert Michels put forward \"elite\" theories of democracy and gave us terms such as the \"ruling class\" and \"elites\" itself. Drawing on their work and tracing the history of democratic thought through figures such as Joseph Schumpeter, Robert Dahl, C. Wright Mills, and Raymond Aron, \u003ci\u003eElites and Democracy\u003c\/i\u003e reveals that this fundamentally elitist basis of democracy--democracy understood as competition between elites--was there all along. The challenge is to think it anew. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMoving away from procedural or principled conceptions of democracy, \u003ci\u003eElites and Democracy\u003c\/i\u003e develops a dynamic theory of democracy, one grounded in movement. With current politics defined by a populist backlash against elites, dynamic democracy offers the tools we urgently need to understand our contemporary predicament and to act upon it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Hugo Drochon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 296\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.28lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.29h x 6.22w x 1.34d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691181554\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHugo Drochon\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eNietzsche's Great Politics\u003c\/i\u003e (Princeton).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Hugo Drochon \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47858791350429,"sku":"9780691181554","price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_2b1efa8b-4739-4afe-9af0-0cccced6a7a7.jpg?v=1776860308","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/elites-and-democracy-9780691181554","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}