06023nam 2201321 a 450 991078147820332120200520144314.01-283-15256-897866131525651-4008-4033-310.1515/9781400840335(CKB)2550000000040808(EBL)726054(OCoLC)742516953(SSID)ssj0000525034(PQKBManifestationID)11325128(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000525034(PQKBWorkID)10488968(PQKB)10540325(MiAaPQ)EBC726054(StDuBDS)EDZ0000406832(MdBmJHUP)muse43158(DE-B1597)453772(OCoLC)979968529(DE-B1597)9781400840335(Au-PeEL)EBL726054(CaPaEBR)ebr10480680(CaONFJC)MIL315256(PPN)162139284(EXLCZ)99255000000004080820110127d2011 uy 0engur|n|---|||||txtccrThe priority of democracy[electronic resource] political consequences of pragmatism /Jack Knight and James JohnsonCourse BookPrinceton [N.J.] Princeton University Pressc20111 online resource (343 p.)A Princeton University Press e-bookDescription based upon print version of record.0-691-16333-2 0-691-15123-7 Includes bibliographical references and index.Preliminaries -- Pragmatism and the problem of institutional design -- The appeal of decentralization -- The priority of democracy and the burden of justification -- Reconsidering the role of political argument in democratic politics -- Refining reflexivity -- Formal conditions : institutionalizing liberal guarantees -- Substantive conditions : pragmatism and effectiveness.Pragmatism and its consequences are central issues in American politics today, yet scholars rarely examine in detail the relationship between pragmatism and politics. In The Priority of Democracy, Jack Knight and James Johnson systematically explore the subject and make a strong case for adopting a pragmatist approach to democratic politics--and for giving priority to democracy in the process of selecting and reforming political institutions. What is the primary value of democracy? When should we make decisions democratically and when should we rely on markets? And when should we accept the decisions of unelected officials, such as judges or bureaucrats? Knight and Johnson explore how a commitment to pragmatism should affect our answers to such important questions. They conclude that democracy is a good way of determining how these kinds of decisions should be made--even if what the democratic process determines is that not all decisions should be made democratically. So, for example, the democratically elected U.S. Congress may legitimately remove monetary policy from democratic decision-making by putting it under the control of the Federal Reserve. Knight and Johnson argue that pragmatism offers an original and compelling justification of democracy in terms of the unique contributions democratic institutions can make to processes of institutional choice. This focus highlights the important role that democracy plays, not in achieving consensus or commonality, but rather in addressing conflicts. Indeed, Knight and Johnson suggest that democratic politics is perhaps best seen less as a way of reaching consensus or agreement than as a way of structuring the terms of persistent disagreement.DemocracyPhilosophyAmerican politics.U.S. Congress.ambiguity.anti-skepticism.argument.bureaucracy.collective decision making.collective decision.collective decisions.collective outcomes.consequentialism.decentralized markets.decentralized mechanisms.democracy.democratic argument.democratic arrangements.democratic competition.democratic decision making.democratic institutional framework.democratic institutions.democratic politics.democratic process.democratic processes.diversity.effective participation.equal political participation.equality.fallibilism.formal decision making.free-and-equal-participation.freedom.individual participation.instability.institutional arrangements.institutional choice.institutional performance.judicial decision making.liberalism.markets.political argument.political consequences.political debate.political-economic institutions.populism.pragmatism.reflexivity.social choice theory.social choice.social cooperation.social disagreement.social interaction.social norms.voting.DemocracyPhilosophy.321.8Knight Jack1952-621975Johnson James1955-817792Russell Sage Foundation,MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910781478203321The priority of democracy3838841UNINA