Smarter than We Look: Review of 'The Confidence Trap' by David Runciman
Acta Politica, Forthcoming
7 Pages Posted: 23 Aug 2014 Last revised: 11 Nov 2015
Date Written: August 21, 2014
Abstract
Review of "The Democracy Trap" by David Runciman. Readers may be confused about the purpose of David Runciman's book, The Confidence Trap. The title suggests a critique of the world's established democracies. "I believe we are in trouble," Runciman says in the preface. The established democracies face several fundamental challenges, and "it is not clear that [they] are doing well in meeting any of them." On close inspection, though, Runciman's apprehensions prove to be overstated -- and what is left is a muted but still positive appraisal of democratic governance.
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