Achieving Democracy

Achieving Democracy is a richly textured and beautifully argued account of the pragmatic capacity of administrative government, emphasizing the importance of understanding that capacity, and why we have failed to understand it. This book provides a solid foundation upon which to construct a more intelligent and sophisticated conversation about the potential of the US administrative state and how we should comprehend the interrelationship between markets and government." * Dr. Liz Fisher, Reader in Environmental Law, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford *
Achieving Democracy offers a sweeping portrait of and compelling brief for government regulation in the United States, from a philosophical, historical, political, economic, and ethical perspective. Shapiro and Tomain remind us that government regulation can be the friend of justice, liberty, and prosperity alike, and that the public ends of government are not adequately captured in the economic marketplace. Their call for a renewed and reshaped commitment to positive government could not come at a better time." * Lisa Heinzerling, Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center *
In Achieving Democracy, Professors Shapiro and Tomain provide a powerful critique of laissez faire economic liberalism and pragmatic defense of government programs aimed at protecting the public from the perils of unconstrained markets." * Tom McGarity, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Chair in Administrative Law, University of Texas School of Law *
Our current situation of political disenchantment and deadlock is a potential teaching moment, and Shapiro and Tomain are just the teachers we need. Drawing on a remarkable range of thinking in philosophy, political science, and law, they advance a revised conception of democracy, and a revised administrative practice to accompany it. Achieving Democracy is a great introduction to the most adventurous recent thinking about politics." * William H. Simon, Arthur Levitt Professor of Law, Columbia Law School *