Who Governs?: Democracy and Power in the American City (Yale Studies in Political Science)

The book arrived sooner than expected and in better condition than I'd hoped for. And the price was right.

Dahl's Who Governs is probably no less relevant today than it was in its own time. A fairly comprehensive quantitative and qualitative study of the political nature of the City of New Haven from its founding to approximately 1959, Dahl presents a view of American "democracy" as a democracy where resources of power are unevenly distributed, and not cumulatively held by one single segment of society. Power and government are pluralistic in a uniquely American sense in his New Haven of the past, and also "democratic" in an American understanding. In this book he gives us an idea of who and what groups are involved in power and making decisions in politics, and how those individuals at the top involve the middling and lower strata of society in their elevation to power and execution thereof.What's most interesting to me is that Dahl's conception of power under Mayor Lee in the 1950's approaches nearly a corporatist government structure based on groupings of power bases (ethnic, regional, intellectual, industry-based) and strategically selected political "representatives" of those distinct groups selected by the mayor. However, Dahl is clear to point out that although Lee ran an effective executive office that was able to effect a broad swath of policy changes, the citizens of New Haven never compromised or had compromised their "democratic creed" by the mayor's efforts.While interesting and certainly relevant to today's socio-political issues - especially his section on the levels of integration of immigrant minority groups into the political process - certainly a broader framework of understanding needs to be considered to understand American democracy and electoral politics as a whole. As expected Dahl is quick to remind the reader that New Haven has to be considered in a broader context of the entire United States. Even so, this work contains a number of concepts and frameworks that can be applied to a holistic understanding of the ever-evolving pluralistic nature of American politics and power.

With his analysis of the runnings of politics and government in one up and coming city during the early sixties, Robert Dahl layed the foundation of his political thought and what would become the concept of polyarchy. Concepts like homo politicus, the use of political resources and how political subjects associates within a city, Dahl brought the methodological and philosophical principles of greek political thought to contemporary political thought. Must have for political scientists and analysts.

First-rate analysis of the dynamics of power in the shaping of an American city. The analysis benefits from the specificity of having choosen a single city: New Haven, CT. But the results of the analysis would be enlightening to the process of understanding the function of power in any community. The scholarship is of the highest quality; the discussion is insightful and thought-provoking. A great resource for those aspiring to shape/influence direction of community growth.

Very good!

A classic book, and in pretty good physical shape.

Great product for the money

Good

Excellent

Very good indeed!

Fácil leitura para seleção de mestrado, porque o texto tem fluidez, parte de caso concreto para a construção de conceitos e o desenvolvimento da tese defendida por Dahl. A partir de uma experiência pontual, desenvolve tema interessante, com a propriedade que só um estudioso como ele poderia fazê-lo. Ante a importância do autor, qualquer crítica negativa seria arrogância de minha parte.