{"product_id":"9780691181554","title":"Elites and Democracy","description":"Author: Hugo Drochon\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9780691181554\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 01 May 2026\u003cbr\u003ePages: 296\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy elites always rule democracies  and why recognising that reality can help us respond to the crisis of democracy today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46798842560670,"sku":"ADS-9780691181554","price":59.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9780691181554.jpg?v=1778120838","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9780691181554","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}