An Ecological Theory of Democracy: Steps Toward a Non-Equilibrium View of Politics

ISBN-13: 9783642484117 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 260 str.

William Collins

Opis

The subject of this monograph is to describe how different types of democracies might be expected to change through the course of time. There are three settings; the two party case, the multiple party case, and the constrained multiple party case. The most important feature of the work is its use of structurally unstable dynamical systems to model the evolution of different democratic policies. Methods are also introduced to deal with the nonequilibrium aspects of democratic practice. The fundamental argument presented by the book is that democracy is not and cannot be an equilibrium type of process. Democratic political systems have generally been modeled to reflect an equilibrium as the expected outcome. The purpose of this book is to argue that democracy is basically a nonequilibrium process. To this end, an ideal 2 party and -N- party and constrained -N- party democracy are modeled with mathematical systems which are structurally unstable. The results of these analyses are evaluated in light of democratic political theory.

Spis treści

1 Describing Democracy Dynamically.- One: The Character of Definition.- Two: Defining Democracy: The Problem of Definitional Unity.- Three: Describing Democracy Dynamically: Toward an Ecological Approach to Democracy.- 2 What Does it Mean to Speak Dynamically About Democracy?.- One: The Character of Change.- Two: The Concepts of a Dynamical System.- Three: The Limits of Mathematics in Social Analysis.- Four: Expanding the Limits of the Formal Language.- 3 Two Party Dynamics.- One: The Dynamics of the Two Party Competition.- Two: The Material Basis of Party Dynamics.- Three: The Problem of Context: Describing the Efficient Cause for Two Party Dynamics.- Summary.- 4 -N- Party Democracy The Role of the Minimal State.- One: Self Equilibrium and the Dynamics of -N- Group Democracy.- Two: Interpreting the Interaction Matrix.- Three: Pluralism and the Emergence of the Minimal State.- Summary.- 5 Democratic Instability and the Role of Political Institutions.- One: Stability and Complexity in a Model Pluralist Polity.- Two: Political Institutions and the Dynamics of Democratic Practice.- Three: On The Relevance and Irrelevance of Political Institutions: Confining the Dynamics of Democratic Practice.- 6 What are the Dynamic Prospects for Democracy?.- One: The Choice of Appropriate Language.- Two: What is the Fundamental Feature of Democratic Practice?.- Three: Summary: What are the Results of the Inquiry?.- selected Bibliography.