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Full Description
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.
Contents
Preface to the second edition; Introduction; 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 separation of powers re-imagined; 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 10 and 51 by James Madison; References; Index.
