Republic At Risk

When people have the freedom to further their own personal interests in politics, the results may be disastrous. Chaos? Tyranny? Can a political system be set up to avoid these pitfalls, while still granting citizens and politicians the freedom to pursue their interests? Republic at Risk is a concise and engaging introduction to American politics. The guiding theme is the problem of self-interest in politics, which James Madison took as his starting point in his defense of representative government in Federalist 10 and 51. Madison believed that unchecked self-interest in politics was a risk to a well-ordered and free society. But he also held that political institutions could be designed to harness self-interest for the greater good. Putting Madison's theory to the test, the authors examine modern challenges to the integrity and effectiveness of US policy-making institutions, inviting readers to determine how best to respond to these risks.

• | Author: Walter J. Stone, James A. McCann
• | Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• | Publication Date: 5-Aug-21
• | Number of Pages: 280 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1108738044
• | ISBN-13: 9781108738040