DEMOCRACY AND DISAGREEMENT

Well-situated at the nexus of several trends in political theory and academic publishing, Democracy and Disagreement addresses contemporary theories of "deliberative democracy" in a highly accessible style intended to bring this important topic to the attention of a wider audience. "Deliberative democracy" is a term used (often rather loosely) to describe a mode of decision-making which privileges participation in debate or dialogue (as opposed to mere polling or casting ballots) as the desirable means for arriving at public judgment. Like another book published this year by a professor of political theory, Democracy's Discontent, by Michael Sandel, the intended audience of Gutmann and Thompson's book is the thoughtful general reader who is concerned with reducing the divisiveness of contemporary political debate. For that reason, Democracy and Disagreement leaves behind many academic points of disagreement between liberals, communitarians, and civic republicans, and takes on topics like welfare reform, affirmative action, and health care rationing. The result is an intelligent book, unlikely to completely satisfy academic audiences, but one that generally succeeds at bringing the topic of "deliberative democracy" to the attention of lay readers through clear and lucid prose and well-chosen examples of practical policy issues.