Elite Foundations of Liberal Democracy

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Elite Foundations of Liberal Democracy by John Higley, Michael Burton, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Higley, Michael Burton ISBN: 9780742568556
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Publication: July 27, 2006
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Language: English
Author: John Higley, Michael Burton
ISBN: 9780742568556
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publication: July 27, 2006
Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Language: English

This compelling and convincing study represents the culmination of the authors' several decades of research on the pivotal role played by elites in the success or failure of political regimes. Revising the classical theory of elites and politics, John Higley and Michael Burton distinguish basic types of elites and associated political regimes. They canvas political change during the modern historical and contemporary periods to identify circumstances and ways in which the sine qua non of liberal democracy, a consensually united elite, has formed and persisted.

The book considers an impressive body of cases, examining how consensually united elites have fostered forty-five liberal democracies and how disunited or ideologically united elites have thus far prevented liberal democracy in more than one hundred other countries. The authors argue that obstacles to the emergence of elites propitious for liberal democracy are more formidable than democratization enthusiasts recognize. They assess prospects for the transformation of disunited and ideologically united elites where they now exist, ask whether current challenges to Western liberal democracies will undermine their consensually united elites, and explore what the rise of the distinctive elite clustered around George W. Bush may portend for America's liberal democracy. The authors' powerful and important argument reframes our thinking about liberal democracy and questions optimistic assumptions about the prospects for its spread in the twenty-first century.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This compelling and convincing study represents the culmination of the authors' several decades of research on the pivotal role played by elites in the success or failure of political regimes. Revising the classical theory of elites and politics, John Higley and Michael Burton distinguish basic types of elites and associated political regimes. They canvas political change during the modern historical and contemporary periods to identify circumstances and ways in which the sine qua non of liberal democracy, a consensually united elite, has formed and persisted.

The book considers an impressive body of cases, examining how consensually united elites have fostered forty-five liberal democracies and how disunited or ideologically united elites have thus far prevented liberal democracy in more than one hundred other countries. The authors argue that obstacles to the emergence of elites propitious for liberal democracy are more formidable than democratization enthusiasts recognize. They assess prospects for the transformation of disunited and ideologically united elites where they now exist, ask whether current challenges to Western liberal democracies will undermine their consensually united elites, and explore what the rise of the distinctive elite clustered around George W. Bush may portend for America's liberal democracy. The authors' powerful and important argument reframes our thinking about liberal democracy and questions optimistic assumptions about the prospects for its spread in the twenty-first century.

More books from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Cover of the book State Tax Policy by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Forty Years that Created America by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Badax Tigers by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Progressive Revolution in Politics and Political Science by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Paranormal and the Paranoid by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Political Science Student Writer's Manual and Reader's Guide by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Vision by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Politics and Government in Israel by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Collaboration by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book At the Dawn of the Cold War by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Violence and Nonviolence by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Reporter Who Knew Too Much by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Whites Confront Racism by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book The Decline in Educational Standards by John Higley, Michael Burton
Cover of the book Online by Design by John Higley, Michael Burton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy