Participation and Democratic Theory [Paperback]

Carole Pateman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 4, 1975 | ISBN-10: 052129004X | ISBN-13: 978-0521290043 | Edition: First Edition

Shows that current elitist theories are based on an inadequate understanding of the early writings of democratic theory and that much sociological evidence has been ignored.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is a very important book ... a lucid, intelligent and direct challenge to the presuppositions of most American and West European sociology and political science. All social science, implicitly or explicitly, in its choice of topic and its mode of treatment, bears on the kind of society that the social scientists consider possible. By accepting a caricatured 'classical doctrine of democracy' or otherwise ignoring the somewhat diverse reasoning of Rousseau, Mill, Marx, Cole and others most contemporary social science simply presumes the impossibility of any form of social organization based on genuine rule by the people. Pateman attempts to resurrect the arguments of the 'classical' theorists and to examine them in the light of empirical evidence on political socialization and workers' self-management.' The Antioch Review

' ... Pateman makes a valuable contribution to the discussion of citizen participation ... with abundant and challenging interpretations.' Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

' ... Pateman's little book succeeds admirably, for it is clearly written, it agrues a series of sensibl points, claims no more than the evidence will support, and leaves us with plenty of unsettled issues to think about ...' Times Literary Supplement

Book Description

Shows that current elitist theories are based on an inadequate understanding of the early writings of democratic theory and that much sociological evidence has been ignored.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; First Edition edition (December 4, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052129004X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521290043
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More relevant today that when it was written, August 13, 2009

By 

Rory Ridley-Duff "Support for the thinking bu... (Sheffield, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Participation and Democratic Theory (Paperback)

It has taken me several years of good intentions to finally read a book that I have seen regularly referenced by leading writers on democratic theory in the business world. Carole Pateman's book is surely worthy of being called a 'classic' not simply for its academic rigour, but for its careful and considered analysis of the contribution of democratic theory to a wholesale reform of business and management practices.

Although the text is short, it is a careful and intensive critical analysis of 'democratic theory' that has prevailed since Schumpeter's 1940s work. The first part of the book, inevitably, deals with the influence of Schumpeter's attempt to revise democratic theory to one based on non-participation by the masses, based on periodic elections. As Pateman is at pains to point out, Schumpeter conceived democracy as a popular contest for the votes of a (largely ignorant) electorate. She makes a convincing argument, through careful analysis of the authors who preceded Schumpeter, that this was an unashamedly elitist project that sought to subvert and prevent mass participation in both political and workplace decision-making by systematically denying people the developmental opportunities that arise through mature systems of participation. Pateman carefully describes a number of inter-related traditions (centred on the work of Rousseau, J. S. Mill and J. D. Cole) that theorise democracy as a system of direct and indirect involvement in decision-making at all levels of society. In the course of this argument, she demonstrates how the workplace will be the heartland of any future project to democratise society.

A key strength of the book is that it critically analyses the claims of different theorists using a wealth of social science studies. These provide credible resources to evaluate the viability and robustness of the arguments made by different democratic theorists. As a result, Pateman demonstrates the social science support for participatory democracy as viable alternative to non-participatory 'representative democracy'.

Especially interesting - for me - was a review of the social, economic and political achievements in the first 20 years of Yugoslavian worker democracy. While it is tempting to argue that history has rendered this "experiment" obsolete, it is clear from contemporary movements in South America (particularly Argentina and Venezuela), as well as the continuing growth of cooperative and employee-ownership movements worldwide, that the kind of integrated systems of worker democracy pioneered in Yugoslavia continue to have enduring relevance for the politicians and practitioners of today. Eschewing both the state-socialism model of Russia and China, as well as the free-market orthodoxy of Hayek and Friedman, the Yugoslavian attempt at bottom-up economic reform based on widespread worker-participation clearly had successes that others are (knowingly or not) replicating around the globe.

For all those involved in the cooperative and employee-ownership movement, as well as those in the state, private and third sectors looking to understand the potential of social enterprise, Pateman's work is a clear 'core text' for both public sector employees and social entrepreneurs / cooperateurs. It provides students with both a theoretical and practical perspective on the central issues of participatory democracy in economic development.

While an updated analysis of the evidence base would be useful (and is certainly possible), the core contribution of this book - one that time has not diminished - is a powerful articulation of the central assumptions of participatory democracy in the workplace. Pateman achieves a level of clarity that is unsurpassed. She distinguishes the rhetoric of "representative democracy" and "managerialism" from radical (and critical) management. In doing so, she enables students to enter into a genuine debate about the potential of democratic management, and the forms it will take. By providing students with the intellectual resources to critique the link between "representative democracy" and "managerialism", her work reamains central to emergent debates in social enterprises over the power to control financial and human resources.

Rory Ridley-Duff (Dr)
Senior Lecturer
Sheffield Hallam University

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing and thought provoking, January 22, 2011

By 

Thomas Hoholm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Participation and Democratic Theory (Paperback)

This excellent book offers an intriguing discussion on the basic assumptions of democracy: participation. Despite (or perhaps because of) her somewhat utopian argument, Pateman succeeds in writing an engaging and thought provoking book about an important topic.