In Defense of Pluralism

'Politics, and especially the interest-group struggle, gets a bad rap. In this spirited defense of democratic, pluralist politics, Éric Montpetit compares the practice of politics with what the media says about that process in biotechnology policy. He finds serious distortions in media depictions that, he argues, need redressing. Montpetit's defense is straightforward, solidly empirical, and his case is well-made. The book is a must-read for policy scholars, students in public policy courses, journalists covering politics, and policy activists. It is a needed bromide for today's overly cynical view of the democratic political process.' Bryan D. Jones, University of Texas, Austin
'Éric Montpetit shines a light on policy processes under the shadow of mainstream politics and, in doing so, shows that pluralistic democracies are not quite as distressed as commonly depicted in the mass media. His book forces a much-needed introspection of our prior assumptions and baseline knowledge about how we study, understand, and assess policy processes. Grounded in theory and backed by solid empirical evidence, this book remains accessible to academics and non-academics looking to connect studies of policy processes and democratic politics.' Christopher Weible, University of Colorado, Denver
'In Defense of Pluralism cuts against the grain of many popular and scholarly accounts by showing how policy actors in North America and Europe have a much more nuanced set of beliefs about genetically engineered foods and stem cell research than media coverage of these controversies would lead us to believe. Montpetit shows that disagreement over contentious issues does not undermine policy actors' ability to address pressing, complex problems. The quality of the research in this book is truly impressive, and its findings are presented in a highly accessible style that will appeal to a broad range of readers.' Adam Sheingate, The Johns Hopkins University