- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
When people have the freedom to further their own personal interests in politics, the results may be disastrous. Chaos? Tyranny? Can a political system be set up to avoid these pitfalls, while still granting citizens and politicians the freedom to pursue their interests? Republic at Risk is a concise and engaging introduction to American politics. The guiding theme is the problem of self-interest in politics, which James Madison took as his starting point in his defense of representative government in Federalist 10 and 51. Madison believed that unchecked self-interest in politics was a risk to a well-ordered and free society. But he also held that political institutions could be designed to harness self-interest for the greater good. Putting Madison's theory to the test, the authors examine modern challenges to the integrity and effectiveness of US policy-making institutions, inviting readers to determine how best to respond to these risks.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half-title
- Reviews
- Title page
- Copyright information
- Dedication
- Brief Contents
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Introduction: Self-Interest as the Problem and the Solution
- 1 Some Enduring Questions and Relevant Concepts
- 2 Big Answers, Bigger Questions: Madison's Theory of the Republic
- 3 Citizen Participation in Politics: An Interest in Self-Interest?
- 4 Who's in Charge Here? Voting Choice in Elections
- 5 Interest Groups and Pluralist Theory: Self-Interest in the Republic Reconsidered
- 6 Political Parties: An Alternative to the Republic?
- 7 A Pivotal Politics Model of the Policy Process: The Seperation of Powers Reimagined
- 8 Congress: Representation and Power
- 9 Presidential Leadership: Beyond Self-Interest?
- 10 The Supreme Court: Another Way Out of the Problem of Self-Interest?
- 11 Conclusion: Self-Interest and Representative Government
- Appendix Federalist Papers 10 and 51 by James Madison
- References
- Index