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How Democratic is the American Constitution?
In this provocative book, one of our most eminent political scientists questions the extent to which the American Constitution furthers democratic goals. Robert Dahl reveals the Constitution's potentially antidemocratic elements and explains why they are there, compares the American constitutional system to other democratic systems, and explores how we might alter our poli...more
Paperback, Second Edition, 240 pages
Published
November 10th 2003
by Yale University Press
(first published 2001)
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In "How Democratic is the American Constitution?", Robert Dahl does a good job at showing the spotlight on the more dubious features of a constitution obviously crafted for different circumstances and with different democratic ideals in mind than those that prevail now. It is especially interesting to contrast this critical examination of the constitution with the renewed hyping of the document by Tea Party followers.
The book does admit, however, that the most defect parts i...more
The book does admit, however, that the most defect parts i...more
The popularly held myth that the American Constitution is the beacon of global democracy blatantly disregards democratic norms in several instances. Robert Dahl, a Sterling Professor Emeritus of Yale University and former President of the American Political Science Association, examines the ways in which the Constitution does not practice equality of representation. Most notably, both the Senate and the Electoral College distort the value of votes, resulting in votes from Wyoming worth four time...more
Overall, I think this is a very interesting book and really helps provide the reader with the information to ask thoughtful, difficult questions about our style of government (and how it can be improved). Dahl's style of writing gets to be very cumbersome, however, as he frequently begins to talk about something only to say, "but I'll get to that in the next section." That kind of spiraling gets annoying very quickly.
I also disagree with a lot of his criticisms of the US Se...more
I also disagree with a lot of his criticisms of the US Se...more
With a Master of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Government and Constitutional Law, Dahl has always been one of my favorite political scientists. Read this book and you would learn why. Dahl points out that the framers had nothing to model their government after other than British parliament and the philosophies of the "Age of the Enlightenment." Dahl delves into the issues of last minute compromises, federalism, the electoral college, etc. and questions the reader wh...more
A short book, but gives the reader a lot to think about.
For those that have studied their American history, the answer is quite simple: not very democratic at all. Nothing all that shocking or implausible about any individual observations or insights made herein, but a good confluence of all of the "little things" that make this a much more "republican", i.e. REPRESENTATIVE form of government, than it is a democratic one predicated on direct and informed involvement by its citizens.
Dahl carries forth the work begun over a century ago by Charles Beard and exposes the Constitution as a fraud that never intended to create freedom, equality, or opportunity for the masses. He goes beyond Beard in that he offer ways in which we might change that.
If you ever want a bird's eye view of this man's project - democratic theory in general - shorn of all academic pretense, he gives it to you here.
A really clear review of the problematics inherent in the kind of idol worship that's gone on with the American constitution. Not nearly as obnoxious as the title would have you believe.
His ideas were insightful but I feel it is wishful thinking.
Dahl makes a solid case for a thorough overhaul of our constitution. But it won't happen. And the changes that will be made over the next quarter century will be through judical review by an over-represented conservative supreme court. Yes, this book is historically imformative, and eye-opening to some processes we may be ill-informed about, but it doesn't take a tenured Yale professor to figure out why the electoral college is undemocratic. I was thirsting for some solutions, and my mouth i...more
Dahl is a legend. Interesting point.
This is a short, critical, easy-to-read look at the American Constitution. It focuses on the political inequality inherent in both the American system and constitution. Nice to read such a well-written book as part of a course... it's certainly more of a "popular" account as it is written in a way that is probably accessible to the "average citizen" and not just academics in their ivory towers.
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I had to read this for my "Public Policy and Inequality" class, and rather enjoyed it. It's a critical look at the "sacred document" known as the U.S. Constitution. As many of us might have guessed, our Constitutional system is really not all that democratic. Putting aside the obvious problems like the fact that anyone who wasn't a property-owning white male was basically excluded, there are also issues like unequal representation in the Senate (why do small states get to hav...more
Good times.
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