- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
-
1 Introduction: Democracy and Political Voice -
2 The (Ambivalent) Tradition of Equality in America -
3 The Context: Growing Economic Inequality and Weakening Unions -
4 Equal Voice and the Dilemmas of Democracy -
5 Does Unequal Political Voice Matter? -
6 The Persistence of Unequal Voice -
7 Unequal at the Starting Line: The Intergenerational Persistence of Political Inequality -
8 Political Participation over the Life Cycle -
9 Political Activism and Electoral Democracy: Perspectives on Economic Inequality and Political Polarization -
10 Political Voice through Organized Interests: Introductory Matters -
11 Who Sings in the Heavenly Chorus? The Shape of the Organized Interest System -
12 The Changing Pressure Community -
13 Beyond Organizational Categories -
14 Political Voice through Organized Interest Activity -
15 Breaking the Pattern through Political Recruitment -
16 Weapon of the Strong? Participatory Inequality and the Internet -
17 What, if Anything, Is to Be Done? -
18 Conclusion: Equal Voice and the Promise of American Democracy -
Appendix A Equality and the State and U.S. Constitutions -
Appendix B The Persistence of Political and Nonpolitical Activity -
Appendix C The Intergenerational Transmission of Political Participation -
Appendix D Age, Period, and Cohort Effects -
Appendix E The Washington Representatives Database -
Appendix F Additional Tables -
Appendix G Do Online and Offline Political Activists Differ from One Another? - Index
Equal Voice and the Dilemmas of Democracy
Equal Voice and the Dilemmas of Democracy
- Chapter:
- (p.96) 4 Equal Voice and the Dilemmas of Democracy
- Source:
- The Unheavenly Chorus
- Author(s):
Kay Lehman Schlozman
Sidney Verba
Henry E. Brady
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
This chapter demonstrates how the United States deviates from the ideal of equal voice. It is based on the premise that equal consideration of the interests and preferences of all citizens is an important component of democratic governance. Equal consideration depends on equal political voice. Those who express political voice—by voting or otherwise taking part in politics—are able to inform the government of their needs and preferences and to pressure public officials to pay attention; they are therefore in a better position to protect their interests. Thus the chapter considers if equal political voice—or, more realistically, more nearly equal voice than is currently the case—is a desirable goal.
Keywords: democratic dilemma, equal voice, equal consideration, democratic governance, equal political voice, political voice, democracy, trade-offs
Princeton Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
-
1 Introduction: Democracy and Political Voice -
2 The (Ambivalent) Tradition of Equality in America -
3 The Context: Growing Economic Inequality and Weakening Unions -
4 Equal Voice and the Dilemmas of Democracy -
5 Does Unequal Political Voice Matter? -
6 The Persistence of Unequal Voice -
7 Unequal at the Starting Line: The Intergenerational Persistence of Political Inequality -
8 Political Participation over the Life Cycle -
9 Political Activism and Electoral Democracy: Perspectives on Economic Inequality and Political Polarization -
10 Political Voice through Organized Interests: Introductory Matters -
11 Who Sings in the Heavenly Chorus? The Shape of the Organized Interest System -
12 The Changing Pressure Community -
13 Beyond Organizational Categories -
14 Political Voice through Organized Interest Activity -
15 Breaking the Pattern through Political Recruitment -
16 Weapon of the Strong? Participatory Inequality and the Internet -
17 What, if Anything, Is to Be Done? -
18 Conclusion: Equal Voice and the Promise of American Democracy -
Appendix A Equality and the State and U.S. Constitutions -
Appendix B The Persistence of Political and Nonpolitical Activity -
Appendix C The Intergenerational Transmission of Political Participation -
Appendix D Age, Period, and Cohort Effects -
Appendix E The Washington Representatives Database -
Appendix F Additional Tables -
Appendix G Do Online and Offline Political Activists Differ from One Another? - Index
