Research Catalog
The will of the people : a modern myth
- Title
- The will of the people : a modern myth / Albert Weale.
- Author
- Weale, Albert
- Publication
- Cambridge, UK : Medford, MA, USA : Polity Press, 2018.
- ©2018
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Book/Text | Use in library | JFC 19-241 | Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315 |
Details
- Description
- xii, 121 pages; 20 cm
- Summary
- Democracies today are in the grip of a myth - the myth of the will of the people. Populist movements use the idea to challenge elected representatives. Politicians, content to invoke the will of the people, fail in their duty to make responsible and accountable decisions. And public contest over political choices is stifled for fear that opposing the will of the people will be perceived as elitist. In this book Albert Weale dissects the idea of the will of the people, showing that it relies on a mythical view of participatory democracy. The definition of 'the people' is vague and shifting. As soon as a choice between more than two simple alternatives is involved, there is often no clear answer to the question of what a majority favours. Worst of all, because governments have to interpret the results of referendums, the will of the people becomes a means for strengthening executive control - the exact opposite of what appealing to the people's will seemed to imply. Weale argues that it's time to dispense with the myth of the will of the people. A flourishing democracy requires an open society in which choices can be challenged, parliaments strengthened and populist leaders called to account.
- Subject
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Contents
- In the grip of a myth -- Nostalgic myths -- What is a people? -- Majority willing? -- The mythical sovereign -- On being outnumbered -- Democracy without myth -- The ethics of responsibility.
- Call Number
- JFC 19-241
- ISBN
- 9781509533268
- 1509533265
- 9781509533275
- 1509533273
- LCCN
- 2018019546
- 40028711150
- OCLC
- 1022077399
- Author
- Weale, Albert, author.
- Title
- The will of the people : a modern myth / Albert Weale.
- Publisher
- Cambridge, UK : Medford, MA, USA : Polity Press, 2018.
- Copyright Date
- ©2018
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Other Form:
- Online version: Weale, Albert. Will of the people. Cambridge, UK : Medford, MA, USA : Polity Press, 2018 9781509533299 (DLC) 2018034951
- Other Standard Identifier
- 40028711150
- Research Call Number
- JFC 19-241