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In this major revisionist study, Eric A. Nordlinger poses two critical questions about democratic politics. How are the public policy decisions of the democratic state in America and Europe to be explained? To what extent is the democratic state an autonomous entity, that is, a state that translates its own policy preferences into public policies? On the Autonomy of the Democratic State challenges the central assumption of liberal and Marxist scholars, journalists, and citizens alike--that elected and appointed public officials are consistently constrained by society in the making of public policy. Nordlinger demonstrates that public officials are not only frequently autonomous insofar as they regularly act upon their own policy preferences, but also markedly autonomous in doing so even in the face of opposition from the most politically powerful groups in society: voters, well-organized and financed interest groups, national associations of farmers, workers, employers, and large corporations. Here is a book in which wide-ranging generalizations are tightly bound up with empirical examples and data. Nordlinger systematically identifies the state's many capacities and opportunities for enhancing its autonomy. These are used by public officials to shape, alter, neutralize, deflect, and resist the policy preferences and pressures of societal groups. Even the highly fragmented national state in America is shown to be far more independent of societal demands than claimed by the conventional wisdom.
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Carl Olson
reviewed On the autonomy of the democratic state on September 08, 2013
On the autonomy of the democratic state
This little book (just 130 pages with footnotes) from the eminent political scientist Robert Dahl is very appropriate for these discordant times.
By "political equality" he means the right -- and ability -- of each adult citizen to participate in the political process, including the right to have equal access AND say in the formulation of policies.
This is clearly not the case today and, as both Mr. Dahl and others have mused, it may become increasingly unlikely in the future, depending upon what WE do or fail to do.
Dahl identifies, as integral parts of true political equality, that each adult citizen would enjoy:
1) "Equal and effective opportunities for making known to others their views about what the policy should be";
2) Equality in voting;
3) Equal and effective opportunities to learn about relevant alternative policies and their likely consequences;
4) Control of the agenda (i.e., which policies are advanced);
5) Inclusion at all steps of weighing, discussing, and selecting policies; and,
6) Rights fundamental to political equality, including equal weight for their opinions and votes, and to the expression of those opinions.
Clearly, the United States today is, in light of the above, very far from having "political equality" for its citizens. Rather, because of the overwhelming power of big money in determining policy, selecting candidates, and distributing "information," the average citizen comes very close to having ZERO power in determining which policies are considered or passed.
Furthermore, the growing partisan divide, and the determination by the Republican Party to seize and maintain power despite majority sentiment or vote -- including the utilization of gerrymandered districts and voter suppression -- has clearly placed some citizens in a distinctly second class mode.
For those who care about the future of our democratic Republic, I heartily recommend your taking a couple of hours to read this book from one of the finest observers of political processes of our time.
For, if you haven't yet noticed, our Republic is, in fact, running out of time!
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