Critical pluralism, democratic performance, and community power
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Critical pluralism, democratic performance, and community power
(Studies in government and public policy)
University Press of Kansas, c1991
Access to Electronic Resource 1 items
Available at 12 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
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  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-252) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Who governs is a central question in political science. Typically, political scientists address this question by relying upon either empirical analysis, which explains existing political practices, or normative analysis, which orescribes ideal politcal practices. Political scientist Paul Schumaker believes the distinction between empirical and normative theory has been overplayed. He weds the two approaches to create the new analytical mode he calls "critical pluralism". With it he can measure variances in government performance from pluralist/democratic ideals and then provide theoretical explanations of why the variances occurred, Schumaker uses critical pluralism to describe, explain, and evaluate variations in three key measures of democratic performance: responsible representation, complex equality, and principle-policy congruence. To test his framework and methodology he analyzes twenty-nine community issues that arose in Lawrence, Kansas, between 1977 and 1987. The results of his study-one of the most comprehensive data bases ever in the study of community politics-will be of interest to those who study community power and democratic theory.
The conceptual framework itself and methodology used in assessing democratic performance will have a lasting impact on the way community government is studied.
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