Who Governs?: Democracy and Power in an American CityIn this now-classic work, one of the most celebrated political scientists of the twentieth century offers a powerful interpretation of the location of political power in American urban communities. For this new edition, Robert A. Dahl has written a new Preface in which he reflects on Who Governs? more than four decades after its publication. And in a new Foreword, Douglas W. Rae offers an assessment of Dahl's achievement in this, Dahl's greatest and most influential book. "Dahl is never dogmatic, and never imagines that the world stands still to accommodate either the democratic ideal or his own pluralistic theory of city politics. . . .Who Governs? is Dahl's liveliest and most remarkable book."--Douglas W. Rae, from the Foreword From reviews of the first edition: "A book that no one interested in politics can afford to ignore."--Lewis A. Coser, Commentary "Anyone seriously concerned with current systematic political theory or with urban politics should read Who Governs?"--Hugh Douglas Price, Political Science Quarterly "A sophisticated and undogmatic treatise on democratic politics."--Heinz Eulau, American Political Science Review "Dahl has illuminated a central question in political science, the problem of how men can govern themselves in complex societies. . . . Who Governs? will become a classic."--from the citation of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award |
Contents
The Nature of the Problem | 1 |
EQUALITY AND INEQUALITY IN NEW HAVEN | 9 |
The Patricians | 11 |
The Entrepreneurs | 25 |
The Explebes | 32 |
The New Men | 52 |
Shadow and Substance The Social and Economic Notables | 63 |
Overview From Cumulative to Dispersed Inequalities | 85 |
AN EXPLANATION | 221 |
On the Species Homo Politicus | 223 |
Social Standing | 229 |
Cash Credit and Wealth | 239 |
Legality Popularity and Control over Jobs | 246 |
Control over Sources of Information | 256 |
The Use of Political Resources | 269 |
Overview Actual and Potential Influence | 271 |
The Distribution of Influence | 87 |
Overview The Ambiguity of Leadership | 89 |
Leaders in Political Nominations | 104 |
Leaders in Urban Redevelopment | 115 |
Leaders in Public Education | 141 |
Overview Direct Versus Indirect Influence | 163 |
Patterns of Influence | 167 |
Specialization of Influence Subleaders | 169 |
Specialization of Influence Leaders | 181 |
Five Patterns of Leadership | 184 |
Pattern A Spheres of Influence | 190 |
Pattern B The ExecutiveCentered Coalition | 200 |
Pattern C Rival Sovereignties | 215 |
Citizenship without Politics | 276 |
Variations on a Theme | 282 |
Stability and Change | 303 |
Stability Change and the Professionals | 305 |
Stability Change and the Democratic Creed | 311 |
APPENDIXES | 327 |
Comparison of New Haven with Other Urban Areas 1950 | 329 |
Methods and Data | 330 |
Indices and Social Position | 341 |
Indices of Political Participation | 342 |
| 345 | |
| 351 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
action active actually administration affairs Aldermen American appeal appointed association Board campaign candidates Catholic Celentano cent changes characteristics charter citizens coalition committee decisions democracy Democratic direct Economic Notables effect elections ethnic evidence example existing extent fact Figure firm four gain Haven highly important income increase individuals influence interest issues Italian Italy kinds later leaders less live majority matter mayor means minority Negroes nominations Notables occupations organizations participation particularly party pattern percentage persons policies political resources political stratum political system politicians population position president probably problems professional proportion proposal public schools question redevelopment registered voters relatively Republican sample Second sense skills social social standing sources strata strategies subleaders successful Table teachers tion turn urban various vote voters ward