Restoring real representation /

Grady revives Theodore J. Lowi's idea of "juridicial democracy" in response to the deepening crisis of representation in American politics. Lowi (The End of Liberalism, 1969, and The Politics of Disorder, 1971) and other political commentators have argued for several decades that interest group liberalism as practiced in the US systematically misrepresents the public interest, seriously inhibiting real justice as well as the efficient pursuit of long-term public goals. Grady accepts this diagnosis, basing his conclusion on a critical analysis of Madison's pluralistic ideal. According to Grady, Madison's ideal must be revised to meet the needs of our modern, industrialized, and highly diverse society. He argues that Lowi's solution, juridicial democracy, offers such a revision, one which adapts the most basic political and constitutional principles to contemporary conditions. While this book's topic should be of general interest, its style is scholarly. Specialists in democratic theory will find plenty of grist for the mill here. The book will not satisfy the needs of most undergraduates or general readers. I. Smolensky; Monmouth College (IL)