LEADER 03665nam 22006254a 450 001 9910452230503321 005 20211213213759.0 010 $a1-281-72266-9 010 $a9786611722661 010 $a0-300-13374-X 024 7 $a10.12987/9780300133745 035 $a(CKB)1000000000472069 035 $a(EBL)3419900 035 $a(OCoLC)923588368 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000214649 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11234976 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000214649 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10157003 035 $a(PQKB)10265999 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC3419900 035 $a(DE-B1597)484866 035 $a(OCoLC)952732055 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780300133745 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL3419900 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10167950 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL172266 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000472069 100 $a20060315d2006 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aOn political equality$b[electronic resource] /$fRobert A. Dahl 210 $aNew Haven $cYale University Press$dc2006 215 $a1 online resource (157 p.) 300 $aDescription based upon print version of record. 311 $a0-300-11607-1 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [123]-130) and index. 327 $aIntroduction -- Is political equality a reasonable goal? -- Is political equality achievable? -- A respectable role for emotions -- Political equality, human nature, and society -- Will political inequality increase in the United States? -- Why political inequality may decline. 330 $aRobert A. Dahl, one of the world's most influential and respected political scientists, has spent a lifetime exploring the institutions and practices of democracy in such landmark books as Who Governs?, On Democracy, and How Democratic Is the American Constitution? Here, Dahl looks at the fundamental issue of equality and how and why governments have fallen short of their democratic ideals. At the center of the book is the question of whether the goal of political equality is so far beyond our human limits that it should be abandoned in favor of more attainable ends, or if there are ways to realistically address and reduce inequities. Though complete equality is unattainable, Dahl argues that strides toward that ideal are both desirable and feasible. He shows the remarkable shift in recent centuries toward democracy and political equality the world over. He explores the growth of democratic institutions, the expansion of citizenship, and the various obstacles that stand in the way of gains in political equality. Dahl also looks at the motives, particularly those of emotion and reason, that play such a crucial role in the struggle for equality. In conclusion, Dahl assesses the contemporary political landscape in the United States. He looks at the likelihood of political inequality increasing, and poses one scenario in which Americans grow more unequal in their influence over their government. The counter scenario foresees a cultural shift in which citizens, rejecting what Dahl calls "competitive consumerism," invest time and energy in civic action and work to reduce the inequality that now exists among Americans. 606 $aDemocracy 606 $aEquality 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aDemocracy. 615 0$aEquality. 676 $a323.5 700 $aDahl$b Robert A.$f1915-2014.$0120901 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910452230503321 996 $aOn political equality$92491236 997 $aUNINA