When does democracy work well, and why? Is democracy the best form of
government? These questions are of supreme importance today as the
United States seeks to promote its democratic values abroad. Democracy
and Knowledge is the first book to look to ancient Athens to explain
how and why directly democratic government by the people produces
wealth, power, and security. Combining a history of Athens with
contemporary theories of collective action and rational choice
developed by economists and political scientists, Josiah Ober examines
Athenian democracy's unique contribution to the ancient Greek
city-state's remarkable success, and demonstrates the valuable lessons
Athenian political practices hold for us today. He argues that the key
to Athens's success lay in how the city-state managed and organized
the aggregation and distribution of knowledge among its citizens. Ober
explores the institutional contexts of democratic knowledge
management, including the use of social networks for collecting
information, publicity for building common knowledge, and open access
for lowering transaction costs. He explains why a government's attempt
to dam the flow of information makes democracy stumble. Democratic
participation and deliberation consume state resources and social
energy. Yet as Ober shows, the benefits of a well-designed democracy
far outweigh its costs. Understanding how democracy can lead to
prosperity and security is among the most pressing political
challenges of modern times. Democracy and Knowledge reveals how
ancient Greek politics can help us transcend the democratic dilemmas
that confront the world today.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400828807
Publisert
2013
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter