R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

Elites, Non-Elites, and Political Realism

Diminishing Futures for Western Societies

John Higley

This provocative and groundbreaking book challenges accepted wisdom about the role of elites in both maintaining and undermining democracy in an increasingly authoritarian world. John Higley traces patterns of elite political behavior and the political orientations of non-elite populations throughout modern history to show what is and is not possible in contemporary politics. He situates these patterns and orientations in a range of regimes, showing how they have played out in revolutions, populist nationalism, Arab Spring failures to democratize, the conflation of ultimate and instrumental values in today’s liberal democracies, and American political thinkers’ misguided assumption that non-elites are the principal determinants of politics. Critiquing the optimistic outlooks prevalent among educated Westerners, Higley considers them out of touch with reality because of spreading employment insecurity, demoralization, and millennial pursuits in their societies. Attacks by domestic and foreign terrorists, effects of climate change, mass migrations from countries outside the West, and disease pandemics exacerbate insecurity and further highlight the flaws in the belief that democracy can thrive and spread worldwide. Higley concludes that these threats to the well-being of Western societies are here to stay. They leave elites with no realistic alternative to a holding operation until at least mid-century that husbands the power and political practices of Western societies. Drawing on decades of research, Higley’s analysis is historically and comparatively informed, bold, and in some places dark—and will be sure to foster debate.

  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 176 • Trim: 6 x 8½
978-1-5381-6287-3 • Hardback • November 2021 • $95.00 • (£73.00)
978-1-5381-6288-0 • Paperback • October 2021 • $36.00 • (£30.00)
978-1-5381-6289-7 • eBook • October 2021 • $34.00 • (£25.00)
Subjects: Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy, Political Science / Comparative Politics, Political Science / History & Theory
Courses: Political Science; Comparative Politics; Political Systems, Political Science; Political Theory; General, Sociology; Institutions; Political Sociology

John Higley is emeritus professor of government and sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the Jack S. Blanton Chair in Australia Studies. His books include Elites, Crises, and the Origins of Regimes; Elites after State Socialism; Elite Foundations of Liberal Democracy; The Endangered West: Myopic Elites and Fragile Social Orders in a Threatening World; and the Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

  1. Elites, Non-Elites, and Politics
  2. Elites, Non-Elites, and Revolution
  3. Elites, Non-Elites, and Democracy
  4. Ultimate and Instrumental Values in Liberal Democracy
  5. The Arab Spring Folly
  6. Political Realism in the Twenty-First Century

Epilogue: The American Preoccupation with Non-Elites

Bibliography

Index

John Higley, one of the key figures behind the revival of elite theory, convincingly argues that the current crisis of populism, nationalism, and resurgent authoritarianism is rooted in a decades-old overselling of the promise of liberal democracy. Western policy makers, and the academics who shape their world view, persistently downplay the role of elites, pretending instead to ground political institutions in mass public involvement. Elite theory helps us understand why US liberalism is in crisis and facing repeated disappointment, whether it be the Arab Spring or nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.


— Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University


John Higley, long one of our greatest experts on elite politics, offers a powerful analysis of how our failure to grasp the realities of elite and non-elite roles in politics has undermined liberal democracy in the West and led to futile efforts to encourage non-elite uprisings around the world. His clear-eyed political realism offers a provocative path to putting democracy on a sounder foundation and avoiding the false utopias that bedevil world order.


— Jack A. Goldstone, George Mason University


In John Higley’s most comprehensive and philosophical work yet on elites, he offers a disquieting assessment of modern democracy and its vulnerabilities. Early elite theorists argued that elite domination was inevitable or that democracy was a sham. Higley pioneered the arresting argument that elites play the decisive role in democracy. How elites behave—whether they fight or unite, whether they inflame or dampen wider social conflicts—is the single most important factor determining transitions to democracy, democratic stability, and democracy’s collapse. In an exploration Higley labels ‘political realism,’ he argues that it is failures at the elite level that are now threatening even well-established democracies like the United States.


— Jeffrey A Winters, Northwestern University


Elites, Non-Elites, and Political Realism

Diminishing Futures for Western Societies

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • This provocative and groundbreaking book challenges accepted wisdom about the role of elites in both maintaining and undermining democracy in an increasingly authoritarian world. John Higley traces patterns of elite political behavior and the political orientations of non-elite populations throughout modern history to show what is and is not possible in contemporary politics. He situates these patterns and orientations in a range of regimes, showing how they have played out in revolutions, populist nationalism, Arab Spring failures to democratize, the conflation of ultimate and instrumental values in today’s liberal democracies, and American political thinkers’ misguided assumption that non-elites are the principal determinants of politics. Critiquing the optimistic outlooks prevalent among educated Westerners, Higley considers them out of touch with reality because of spreading employment insecurity, demoralization, and millennial pursuits in their societies. Attacks by domestic and foreign terrorists, effects of climate change, mass migrations from countries outside the West, and disease pandemics exacerbate insecurity and further highlight the flaws in the belief that democracy can thrive and spread worldwide. Higley concludes that these threats to the well-being of Western societies are here to stay. They leave elites with no realistic alternative to a holding operation until at least mid-century that husbands the power and political practices of Western societies. Drawing on decades of research, Higley’s analysis is historically and comparatively informed, bold, and in some places dark—and will be sure to foster debate.

Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 176 • Trim: 6 x 8½
    978-1-5381-6287-3 • Hardback • November 2021 • $95.00 • (£73.00)
    978-1-5381-6288-0 • Paperback • October 2021 • $36.00 • (£30.00)
    978-1-5381-6289-7 • eBook • October 2021 • $34.00 • (£25.00)
    Subjects: Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy, Political Science / Comparative Politics, Political Science / History & Theory
    Courses: Political Science; Comparative Politics; Political Systems, Political Science; Political Theory; General, Sociology; Institutions; Political Sociology
Author
Author
  • John Higley is emeritus professor of government and sociology at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held the Jack S. Blanton Chair in Australia Studies. His books include Elites, Crises, and the Origins of Regimes; Elites after State Socialism; Elite Foundations of Liberal Democracy; The Endangered West: Myopic Elites and Fragile Social Orders in a Threatening World; and the Palgrave Handbook of Political Elites.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Contents

    Acknowledgements

    Introduction

    1. Elites, Non-Elites, and Politics
    2. Elites, Non-Elites, and Revolution
    3. Elites, Non-Elites, and Democracy
    4. Ultimate and Instrumental Values in Liberal Democracy
    5. The Arab Spring Folly
    6. Political Realism in the Twenty-First Century

    Epilogue: The American Preoccupation with Non-Elites

    Bibliography

    Index

Reviews
Reviews
  • John Higley, one of the key figures behind the revival of elite theory, convincingly argues that the current crisis of populism, nationalism, and resurgent authoritarianism is rooted in a decades-old overselling of the promise of liberal democracy. Western policy makers, and the academics who shape their world view, persistently downplay the role of elites, pretending instead to ground political institutions in mass public involvement. Elite theory helps us understand why US liberalism is in crisis and facing repeated disappointment, whether it be the Arab Spring or nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan.


    — Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University


    John Higley, long one of our greatest experts on elite politics, offers a powerful analysis of how our failure to grasp the realities of elite and non-elite roles in politics has undermined liberal democracy in the West and led to futile efforts to encourage non-elite uprisings around the world. His clear-eyed political realism offers a provocative path to putting democracy on a sounder foundation and avoiding the false utopias that bedevil world order.


    — Jack A. Goldstone, George Mason University


    In John Higley’s most comprehensive and philosophical work yet on elites, he offers a disquieting assessment of modern democracy and its vulnerabilities. Early elite theorists argued that elite domination was inevitable or that democracy was a sham. Higley pioneered the arresting argument that elites play the decisive role in democracy. How elites behave—whether they fight or unite, whether they inflame or dampen wider social conflicts—is the single most important factor determining transitions to democracy, democratic stability, and democracy’s collapse. In an exploration Higley labels ‘political realism,’ he argues that it is failures at the elite level that are now threatening even well-established democracies like the United States.


    — Jeffrey A Winters, Northwestern University


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Thirteen Cracks: Repairing American Democracy after Trump
  • Cover image for the book A Theory of Citizen Equality: A Framework for Democratic Citizenship
  • Cover image for the book Trumpism, Bigotry, and the Threat to American Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Federalist Solutions to Pakistan's Political Crises
  • Cover image for the book The Dialogue in Hell between Machiavelli and Montesquieu: Humanitarian Despotism and the Conditions of Modern Tyranny
  • Cover image for the book The Crisis of Liberal Democracy and the Path Ahead: Alternatives to Political Representation and Capitalism
  • Cover image for the book A First Amendment Profile of the Supreme Court
  • Cover image for the book Flawed Democracy and Development: A Jamaica Case Study
  • Cover image for the book Why Social Movements Matter: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book The Democracy Disadvantage: How Populism Impedes Democracies and Galvanizes Authoritarianism in the Face of Disaster
  • Cover image for the book Combinations: Denominations, Democracy and the Politics of Nonviolence
  • Cover image for the book Transformations of Democracy: Crisis, Protest and Legitimation
  • Cover image for the book Representative Democracy: Legislators and their Constituents
  • Cover image for the book Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America
  • Cover image for the book Lithuania’s Quest for Self-Determination: Municipal Responses to National Emigration
  • Cover image for the book The Struggle for Good Governance in Eastern Europe
  • Cover image for the book Inequality and Governance in an Uncertain World: Perspectives on Democratic & Autocratic Governments
  • Cover image for the book The Aerodrome: A Love Story
  • Cover image for the book Amor Mundi and Overcoming Modern World Alienation
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Cryptodemocracy: How Blockchain Can Radically Expand Democratic Choice
  • Cover image for the book Unchecked and Unbalanced: How the Discrepancy Between Knowledge and Power Caused the Financial Crisis and Threatens Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Global Justice in a Democratic World: Contemporary Liberal Theories
  • Cover image for the book You Call This a Democracy?
  • Cover image for the book The Case for Gridlock: Democracy, Organized Power, and the Legal Foundations of American Government
  • Cover image for the book Populism, Democracy, and the Humanities: Interdisciplinary Explorations and Critical Enquiries
  • Cover image for the book Open Left: The Future of Progressive Politics
  • Cover image for the book Presidentialism, Violence, and the Prospect of Democracy
  • Cover image for the book The Marshall Plan and the Shaping of American Strategy
  • Cover image for the book Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine
  • Cover image for the book A Wall of Separation?: Debating the Public Role of Religion
  • Cover image for the book The Democracy Promotion Paradox
  • Cover image for the book Thirteen Cracks: Repairing American Democracy after Trump
  • Cover image for the book A Theory of Citizen Equality: A Framework for Democratic Citizenship
  • Cover image for the book Trumpism, Bigotry, and the Threat to American Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Federalist Solutions to Pakistan's Political Crises
  • Cover image for the book The Dialogue in Hell between Machiavelli and Montesquieu: Humanitarian Despotism and the Conditions of Modern Tyranny
  • Cover image for the book The Crisis of Liberal Democracy and the Path Ahead: Alternatives to Political Representation and Capitalism
  • Cover image for the book A First Amendment Profile of the Supreme Court
  • Cover image for the book Flawed Democracy and Development: A Jamaica Case Study
  • Cover image for the book Why Social Movements Matter: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book The Democracy Disadvantage: How Populism Impedes Democracies and Galvanizes Authoritarianism in the Face of Disaster
  • Cover image for the book Combinations: Denominations, Democracy and the Politics of Nonviolence
  • Cover image for the book Transformations of Democracy: Crisis, Protest and Legitimation
  • Cover image for the book Representative Democracy: Legislators and their Constituents
  • Cover image for the book Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America
  • Cover image for the book Lithuania’s Quest for Self-Determination: Municipal Responses to National Emigration
  • Cover image for the book The Struggle for Good Governance in Eastern Europe
  • Cover image for the book Inequality and Governance in an Uncertain World: Perspectives on Democratic & Autocratic Governments
  • Cover image for the book The Aerodrome: A Love Story
  • Cover image for the book Amor Mundi and Overcoming Modern World Alienation
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Cryptodemocracy: How Blockchain Can Radically Expand Democratic Choice
  • Cover image for the book Unchecked and Unbalanced: How the Discrepancy Between Knowledge and Power Caused the Financial Crisis and Threatens Democracy
  • Cover image for the book Global Justice in a Democratic World: Contemporary Liberal Theories
  • Cover image for the book You Call This a Democracy?
  • Cover image for the book The Case for Gridlock: Democracy, Organized Power, and the Legal Foundations of American Government
  • Cover image for the book Populism, Democracy, and the Humanities: Interdisciplinary Explorations and Critical Enquiries
  • Cover image for the book Open Left: The Future of Progressive Politics
  • Cover image for the book Presidentialism, Violence, and the Prospect of Democracy
  • Cover image for the book The Marshall Plan and the Shaping of American Strategy
  • Cover image for the book Rise, Decline and Renewal: The Democratic Party in Maine
  • Cover image for the book A Wall of Separation?: Debating the Public Role of Religion
  • Cover image for the book The Democracy Promotion Paradox
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...