Democracy and Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery

Elections, Equality, and Minimal Human Being

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6231645
AutoresJohn Mueller (0000-0002-8569-8414, autor correspondente)
Ano1992
Volume36
Fascículo4
Páginas983
Data de publicação1992-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAmerican Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0092-5853 • E-ISSN: 1540-5907
EditoraJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2111357
OpenAlexW2328702599
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas25
Referências citadas5

This article makes three arguments in an effort to help explain the remarkable growth of democracy over the last two centuries. It argues, first, that democracy is really quite a simple idea, that it can come into existence quite naturally, and that even elections are not necessary for it to take effect. Second, it holds that democracy has been able to become established and accepted because, despite the assertions of many of its advocates, in practice it has little to do with political equality-indeed, effectively it relies on, and celebrates, political inequality. And, third, it suggests that one of democracy's great strengths is that it does not demand much of people and that it can function quite well with the minimal human being. The article concludes by briefly contrasting democracy with its competitors

Competitor analysis · Democracy · Economics · Epistemology · Function (biology · Inequality · Law and economics · Management · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Simple (philosophy · Sociology · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought