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The Mild Voice of Reason (Paperback, New edition)
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Discovery Miles 10 590
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The Mild Voice of Reason (Paperback, New edition)
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Total price: R1,079
Discovery Miles: 10 790
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In recent years, many Americans and more than a few political
scientists have come to believe that democratic deliberation in
Congress--whereby judgments are made on the merits of policies
reflecting the interests and desires of American citizens--is more
myth than reality. Rather, pressure from special interest groups,
legislative bargaining, and the desire of incumbents to be
reelected are thought to originate in American legislative
politics. While not denying such influences, Joseph M. Bessette
argues that the institutional framework created by the founding
fathers continues to foster a government that is both democratic
and deliberative, at least to some important degree.
Drawing on original research, case studies of policymaking in
Congress, and portraits of American lawmakers, Bessette
demonstrates not only the limitations of nondeliberative
explanations for how laws are made but also the continued vitality
of genuine reasoning on the merits of public policy. Bessette
discusses the contributions of the executive branch to policy
deliberation, and looks at the controversial issue of the proper
relationship of public opinion to policymaking.
Informed by Bessette's nine years of public service in city and
federal government, "The Mild Voice of Reason" offers important
insights into the real workings of American democracy, articulates
a set of standards by which to assess the workings of our governing
institutions, and clarifies the forces that promote or inhibit the
collective reasoning about common goals so necessary to the success
of American democracy.
"No doubt the best-publicized recent book-length work on Congress
is columnist George Will's diatribe in praise ofterm limits in
which the core of his complaint is that Congress does not
deliberate in its decision-making. Readers who are inclined to
share that fantasy would do well to consult the work of Joseph M.
Bessette. He turns up massive amounts of material attesting to the
centrality of deliberation in congressional life."--Nelson W.
Polsby, "Presidential Studies Quarterly"
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