Democratic Accountability: Why Choice in Politics Is Both Possible and Necessary

by Leif Lewin

Overview

It is common for political leaders to claim they have no control over bad outcomes. Indeed, they often cite the arguments of political theorists and public intellectuals as to why: history rushes onward oblivious of human will; force and violence overcome political aims; globalization undermines the actions of national leaders; the bureaucracy sabotages their intentions; bad outcomes are often the unintended result of actions.

In Democratic Accountability, Leif Lewin examines these reasons and argues that they are unconvincing. He makes his case by describing and analyzing counterexamples in seven cases, including the prevention of a communist takeover in Europe after World War II, the European Union's preventing another European war, and Margaret Thatcher's taming of the bureaucracy in Britain. In a staunch defense of the possibility for meaningful and profound democratic decision making, Lewin finds that, in fact, not only do political leaders exert a good measure of control and therefore can be assigned responsibility, but the meaning of the functioning democracy is that the people hold their leaders accountable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674024755
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	03/15/2007
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Leif Lewin is Johan Skytte Professor of Eloquence and Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Politics of Blame Avoidance     1
Accountability as a Democratic Value     1
Politics as Rational Action     5
Critical Cases as Counterexamples     6
History Is Not Predetermined     14
The End of History     14
The Politics of Containment     25
Accountability and Counterfactual Analysis     30
Nation-States Need Not Go to War     36
The War of All against All     36
L'Europe des Patries     43
Accountability and Legitimacy     55
Globalization Has Not Wiped Out the Freedom to Choose     63
The Globalization Trap     63
Agenda 21     73
Accountability and the Market     86
Power-Sharing Does Not Exclude Accountability     90
Power-Sharing     90
Mani Pulite     102
Accountability and the Ethics of Conviction and Responsibility     110
Implementation May Well Be Immaculate     116
The Theory of Budget Maximization     116
The Politics of Retrenchment     125
Accountability and Bureaucracy     132
Consequences May Well Be as Intended     139
Unintended Consequences     139
The Gent System     144
Accountability and Expertise     153
Action Can Be Meaningful Even if Irrational     160
The Logic of Rational Action: The Roots     160
The Logic of Appropriateness: Gotterdammerung     163
Accountability and History     170
Conclusion: The Necessity for Choice     176
Choice Is Possible     176
Choice Is Necessary     184
Notes     197
Bibliography     221
Acknowledgments     241
Index     243

What People are Saying About This

This is an intriguing book in the field of policy analysis. Lewin gives seven arguments and counter-examples from the historical, philosophical, and policy analysis literatures to make the point that "Choice is possible!." This is an excellent strategy, and makes a very novel and engaging book.

Editorial Reviews

This is an intriguing book in the field of policy analysis. Lewin gives seven arguments and counter-examples from the historical, philosophical, and policy analysis literatures to make the point that "Choice is possible!." This is an excellent strategy, and makes a very novel and engaging book.

Eleanor Ostrom

Democratic Accountability ascends far above both the meticulous methodological commitments so dominant in contemporary political science and the tediously trivial arguments advanced by so much contemporary political research to embrace fundamental questions of the first importance in a manner both lively and informative. This is a most original and striking book, both in the sheer erudition Lewin displays and the moral urgency that animates the work.

Russell Muirhead

In this stimulating analysis, Leif Lewin wrestles with one of the most frustrating problems of contemporary democracy, the difficulty of holding elected leaders responsible for policies. The difficulty is based on the objective complexity and interdependence of policymaking in the modern state and on the tendency of politicians to use that context deliberately to avoid responsibility when policies go bad. The temptation, of course, is understandable, although not, as Lewin reminds us, ethically excusable.

G. Bingham Powell

This is a powerful book about the relationship between citizens and leaders in a democracy. The former and the latter are linked by accountability, the concept that Lewin places at the heart of his analysis. The analysis is clear, the case studies illustrating the analysis are compelling. This work will occupy an important place on the bookshelf of democratic politics.

Sidney Verba