Discursive Democracy

John Dryzek criticizes in this book the dominance of instrumental rationality and objectivism in political institutions, public policy and the practice of political science. He argues that the reliance on instrumental rationality has led to the excessive bureaucratization of government and to technocracies of expert cultures that are ill-equipped for dealing with complex social problems. Drawing on critical theory, he outlines an alternative program for the organization of political institutions, advocating a form of participatory democracy, which he terms discursive democracy, that stresses the importance of active citizenship and public discourse.