{"product_id":"democratic-accountability","title":"Democratic Accountability","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt 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.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eDemocratic Accountability\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54220403179864,"sku":"9780674024755","price":72.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780674024755_8ab86586-1ebb-485c-9820-bab693f8781a.jpg?v=1770267658","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/democratic-accountability","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}