{"product_id":"democracy-and-knowledge-9780691146249","title":"Democracy and Knowledge","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen does democracy work well, and why? Is democracy the best form of government? These questions are of supreme importance as the United States seeks to promote its democratic values abroad. This book looks at ancient Athens to explain how and why directly democratic government by the people produces wealth, power, and security.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for the 2010 Hessell-Tiltman Prize, English PEN Winner of the 2008 PROSE Award in Classics and Ancient History, Association of American Publishers \"Josiah Ober is a practically minded, get up and go, people's kind of democrat... There is certainly nothing like [Democracy and Knowledge] in the literature on ancient politics.\"--Geoffrey Hawthorn, Times Literary Supplement \"Democracy and Knowledge is the final book in an extraordinary trilogy. It follows Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens, which appeared in 1989, and Political Dissent in Democratic Athens, in 1998. This third book incorporates the central conclusions of the first two, and with this volume Ober, by means of a highly original historical argument about Athens, does in fact refute Michel's famous law... Ober's careful historical work and his theoretical framework generate a convincing portrait of a flourishing participatory democracy that overcame real crises, and achieved a stable balancing of the interests of masses and wealthy elites, and responded to collective action problems by developing institutional and cultural solutions that focused on the social distribution and the social valuation of knowledge... Is it too much to ask that members of the Obama administration turn to a dense work of ancient history to help them make good on Obama's vision of an American state that combines the resources of representative and participatory democracy? They would take away from Democracy and Knowledge at least a few important general ideas.\"--Danielle Allen, The New Republic \"This book ... richly rewards any reader with interests in democratic theory or Athens. For many it could renew an interest in the sociology of deliberative action. And it does an excellent job rethinking tired political hyperdivision of 'public vs. private,' 'weak vs. strong publics,' and 'civic vs. market orientations.'\"--Christopher Moore, Bryn Mawr Classical Review \"Josiah Ober's book is a remarkable contribution to classical Greek history, social theory, and political philosophy. It advances understandings within each field and shows why these disciplines should be in more conversation with one another.\"--Gerald Mara, Cambridge Journals \"The book is written in a very accessible style and it should be of interest to a wide range of scholars working in the are of ancient history, political science and democratic theory.\"--Zsuzsanna Chappell, Political Studies Review \"[This book is] very much worth reading, if for no other reason than for the extremely rich and interesting historical detail to be found... In this respect, [the] author live[s] up to [his] justly earned reputation as [a] great political historian.\"--Frank Lovett, Perspectives on Politics \"[T]he book is well worth the read. The attempt to cross disciplinary boundaries is refreshing. Moreover, Obe\"s analysis offers a valuable contribution to democratic theory.\"--Emma Cohen de Lara, Acta Politica \"[Ober] makes a detailed and stimulating case. This is a book which has much to offer to both scholars of Athenian democracy and democratic political thought.\"--Peter Liddel, European Legacy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Illustrations xi  List of Tables xii  Preface xiii  List of Abbreviations xvii  Athenian Money, Taxes, Revenues xviii      CHAPTER ONE: Introduction: Dispersed Knowledge and Public Action 1  Theory and Practice 3  Rational Choice and Joint Action 6  Premises and Problem 12  Caveats and Method 22  The Argument and Its Contexts 28  Experts and Interests 34  Hypothesis 37      CHAPTER TWO: Assessing Athenian Performance 39  Historical Evaluation 40  Aggregate Flourishing 43  Distribution of Coinage 48  Athens versus Syracuse and Sparta 52  Citations in Greek Literature and Other Measures 53  Athens ??12: A Multiperiod Case Study 55  Democracy as an Explanatory Variable 70  Republics, Democracies, and Athenian Exceptionalism 75      CHAPTER THREE: Competition, Scale, and Varieties of Knowledge 80  Competition and Its Consequences 80  Participation and Scale 84  Social, Technical, and Latent Knowledge 90  Preferences, Parties, and Costly Information 97  Hierarchy, Democracy, and Productivity 102  Knowledge Processes as Public-Action Strategies 106      CHAPTER FOUR: Aggregation: Networks, Teams, and Experts 118  Institutional Design: Incentives, Low Cost, Sorting 118  Establishing a Naval Station, 325\/4 B.C. 124  Demes and Tribes as Social Networks 134  The Council of 500: Structural Holes and Bridging Ties 142  Organizational and Individual Learning 151  Boards of Magistrates as Real Teams 156  Ostracism, Assembly, and People's Courts 160      CHAPTER FIVE: Alignment: Common Knowledge, Commitment, and Coordination 168  Alignment and Hierarchy 169  Following Leaders, Rules, and Commitments 172  Cascading and Social Equilibrium 179  A Trial for Treason, 330 B.C. 183  Common Knowledge and Publicity 190  Rational Rituals and Public Monuments 194  Architecture and Intervisibility 199  Scaling Common Knowledge 205      CHAPTER SIX: Codification: Access, Impartiality, and Transaction Costs 211  Intention and Interpretation 211  Open Entry, Fair Procedure, and Transaction Costs 214  A Law on Silver Coinage, 375\/4 B.C. 220  Silver Owls, Athenian and Imitation 226  Approval, Certification, Confiscation 231  Legal Standing and Social Status 241  Rules and Rents: Historical Survey 245  Expanding Access 249  Democracy and Social Security 254  Horizons of Fairness 258      CHAPTER SEVEN: Conclusions: Government by the People 264  Knowledge in Action 264  The Democracy\/Knowledge Hypothesis Revisited 268  Formality and Experimentation 270  Institutions and Ideology 272  Exceptionalism and Exemplarity 276      APPENDIX A. Aggregate Material Flourishing 281  APPENDIX B. Distribution of Coins in Hoards 285  APPENDIX C. Prominence in Classical Greek Literature 287  APPENDIX D. Impact of Constitution and Historical Experience 289  APPENDIX E. Athenian State Capacity and Democracy, 600-250 B.C. 292      Bibliography 295  Index 333","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49403776041303,"sku":"9780691146249","price":27.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780691146249.jpg?v=1730484508","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/democracy-and-knowledge-9780691146249","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}