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{{more footnotes|date=March 2011}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|birthname = Ian McAllister
|birthname = Stephen White
| image =
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| caption =
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|12|2|mf=y}}
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| birth_place = {{United Kingdom}} [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]]
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| occupation = Political Scientist, Professor
| occupation = Political Scientist, Professor
| networth =
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| citizenship = Australian, United Kingdom, Ireland
| citizenship =
| education = [[University of Strathclyde]], [[Thames Polytechnic]]
| education = [[Trinity College, Dublin]], [[University of Glasgow]], [[Moscow State University]], [[University of Oxford]]
| spouse = Dr Toni Makkai
| spouse =
| website = http://politicsir.cass.anu.edu.au/people/academic-staff/ian-mcallister
| website = http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/stephenwhite/
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| children = none
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}}
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Professor '''Stephen White''' is the James Bryce Professor of Politic and a Senior Research Associate of the [[University of Glasgow]]'s School of Central and East European Studies, and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Applied Politics in Moscow. He graduated from [[Trinity College Dublin]] in history and political science, and then completed a [[PhD]] in [[Soviet studies]] at Glasgow University - including an exchange year at [[Moscow State University]] - and a [[DPhil]] in politics at [[Wolfson College Oxford]]. He was elected a Fellow of the [[British Academy]] in 2010.
Ian McAllister''' (born 2 December 1950, [[Belfast, UK]]) is the Distinguished Professor of [[political science]] at the [[Australian National University]]. He earned his Ph.D. in political science in 1976 from [[University of Strathclyde]].


==Writings==
==Writings==


In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was involved in an academic disagreement with [[C. Wright Mills]] over the nature of [[politics in the United States]]. Mills held that America's governments are in the grasp of a unitary and demographically narrow power elite. Dahl responded that there are many different elites involved, who have to work both in contention and in compromise with one another. If this is not [[democracy]] in a [[populism|populist]] sense, Dahl contended, it is at least [[polyarchy]] (or [[pluralism (political theory)|pluralism]]). In perhaps his best known work, ''[[Who Governs?]]'' (1961), he examines the power structures (both formal and informal) in the city of [[New Haven, Connecticut]], as a case study, and finds that it supports this view.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

From the late 1960s onwards, his conclusions were challenged by scholars such as [[G. William Domhoff]] and [[Charles E. Lindblom]] (a friend and colleague of Dahl). {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

In ''[[How Democratic Is the American Constitution?]]'' (2001) he argued that the constitution is much less democratic than it ought to be given that its authors were operating from a position of "profound ignorance" about the future. However, he adds that there is little or nothing that can be done about this "short of some constitutional breakdown, which I neither foresee nor, certainly, wish for." {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==Influence terms==
One of Robert Dahl’s many contributions is his explication of the varieties of power, which he defines as “A” getting “B” to do what “A” wants. Dahl prefers the more neutral “influence terms,” (Michael G. Roskin) which he arrayed on a scale from best to worst:
# ''Rational Persuasion,'' the nicest form of influence, means telling the truth and explaining why someone should do something, like your doctor convincing you to stop smoking. {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
# ''Manipulative persuasion,'' a notch lower, means lying or misleading to get someone to do something. {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
# ''Inducement'' still lower, means offering rewards or punishments to get someone to do something, i.e. like bribery.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
# ''Power'' threatens severe punishment, such as jail or loss of job.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
# ''Coercion'' is power with no way out; you have to do it.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
# ''Physical force'' – is backing up coercion with use or threat of bodily harm.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

Thus, we can tell which governments are best; the ones that use influence at the higher end of the scale. The worst use the unpleasant forms of influence at the lower end. {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==Democracy and polyarchies==
::''See also main article on [[polyarchy]]''
In his book, ''[[Democracy and Its Critics]]'' (1989), Dahl clarifies his view about democracy. No modern country meets the ideal of democracy, which is as a theoretical utopia. To reach the ideal requires meeting five criteria:<ref>R.A. Dahl, Democracy and Its Critics, Yale University Press, p.221</ref>
# '''Effective participation'''<br />Citizens must have adequate and equal opportunities to form their preference and place questions on the public agenda and express reasons for one outcome over the other.
# '''Voting equality at the decisive stage'''<br />Each citizen must be assured his or her judgments will be counted as equal in weights to the judgments of others.
# '''Enlightened understanding'''<br />Citizens must enjoy ample and equal opportunities for discovering and affirming what choice would best serve their interests.
# '''Control of the agenda'''<br />Demos or people must have the opportunity to decide what political matters actually are and what should be brought up for deliberation.
# '''Inclusiveness'''<br />Equality must extend to all citizens within [[State (polity)|the state]]. Everyone has legitimate stake within the political process.

Instead, he calls politically advanced countries "polyarchies". Polyarchies have elected officials, free and fair elections, inclusive suffrage, rights to run for office, freedom of expression, alternative information and associational autonomy. Those institutions are a major advance in that they create multiple centers of political power.<ref>R.A. Dahl, Democracy and Its Critics, Yale University Press, p.222</ref>


== Prizes ==
== Prizes ==
Dahl was awarded the [[Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science]] in 1995. {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==Criticism==
* Sociologist [[G. William Domhoff]] strongly disagrees with Dahl's view of power in [[New Haven]], CT in the 1960s: [http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/new_haven.html "Who Really Ruled in Dahl's New Haven?"] {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
* Political philosopher [[Charles Blattberg]] has criticized Dahl's attempt to define democracy with a set of necessary and sufficient conditions. {{citation needed|date=September 2011}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
The most well-known of Dahl's works include:
*1953 - ''Politics, Economics, and Welfare'' (with Charles E. Lindblom)
*1956 - ''A Preface to Democratic Theory'' (new edition in 2006)
*1957 - ''[http://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/teaching/articles/Dahl_Power_1957.pdf The Concept of Power]''
*1957 - ''Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy-Maker''
*1960 - ''Social science research on business: product and potential''
*1961 - ''[[Who Governs?|Who Governs?: Democracy and Power in an American City]]''
*1963 - ''Modern Political Analysis''
*1966 - ''Political oppositions in Western Democracies''
*1968 - ''Pluralist democracy in the United States : conflict and consent''
*1970 - ''After the Revolution? : Authority in a good society''
*1971 - ''Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition''
*1973 - ''Size and Democracy'' (with Edward R. Tufte)
*1983 - ''Dilemmas of Pluralist Democracy: Autonomy vs. Control''
*1985 - ''A Preface to Economic Democracy''
*1985 - ''Controlling Nuclear Weapons: Democracy versus Guardianship''
*1989 - ''[[Democracy and Its Critics]]''
*1997 - ''Toward Democracy - a Journey: Reflections, 1940-1997''
*1998 - ''On Democracy''
*2002 - ''[[How Democratic Is the American Constitution?]]''
*2003 - ''The Democracy Sourcebook.'' (An anthology edited by Robert A. Dahl, Ian Shapiro and José Antonio Cheibub)
*2005 - ''After The Gold Rush''
*2006 - ''On Political Equality''


==References & External links==
==References & External links==

{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
* Roskin, Cord, Medeiros, Jones. (2008). ''Political Science: An Introduction'',(10th Edition). New Jersey. ISBN 0-13-242576
* Jeong Chun Hai @Ibrahim, & Nor Fadzlina Nawi. (2007). ''Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction.'' Kuala Lumpur: Karisma Publications. ISBN 978-983-195-253-5
* [http://politicalscience.yale.edu/people/robert-dahl Robert A. Dahl] in the Yale University website.
* [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/149747/Robert-A-Dahl Robert A. Dahl] in the Encyclopedia Britannica.
* [http://www.annualreviews.org/page/audio#dahl Annual Reviews Conversations Interview with Robert A. Dahl] (video)


{{Authority control|VIAF=41860289}}


{{Persondata
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Dahl, Robert A.
| NAME = Stephen White
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 17 December 1915
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Inwood]], [[Iowa]]
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahl, Robert A.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Stephen}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American political scientists]]
[[Category:American political theorists]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:Yale University faculty]]
[[Category:Public administration scholars]]
[[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Guggenheim Fellows]]

Revision as of 13:48, 14 December 2013

Liberalcynic/sandbox
Born
Stephen White
EducationTrinity College, Dublin, University of Glasgow, Moscow State University, University of Oxford
Occupation(s)Political Scientist, Professor
Websitehttp://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/stephenwhite/

Professor Stephen White is the James Bryce Professor of Politic and a Senior Research Associate of the University of Glasgow's School of Central and East European Studies, and a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Applied Politics in Moscow. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin in history and political science, and then completed a PhD in Soviet studies at Glasgow University - including an exchange year at Moscow State University - and a DPhil in politics at Wolfson College Oxford. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2010.

Writings

Prizes

Bibliography


Template:Persondata