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Sociologists, Economists, and Democracy
"Rationalist theories of political behavior have recently risen in status to that of a new—or, more accurately, rediscovered—paradigm in the systematic study of politics. Brian Barry's short, provocative book played no small part in the debate that precipitated this shift. . . . Without reservation, Barry's treatise is the most lucid and most influential critique of two important, competing perspectives in political the 'sociological' school of Talcott Parsons, Gabriel Almond, and other so-called functionalists; and the 'economic' school of Anthony Downs and Mancur Olson, among others."—Dennis J. Encarnation, American Journal of Sociology
212 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 1970
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About the author
Brian M. Barry
22 books16 followersBrian Barry [Fellow of the British Academy] was a moral and political philosopher. He was educated at the Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining the degrees of B.A. and D.Phil under the direction of H. L. A. Hart.
Along with David Braybrooke, Richard E. Flathman, Felix Oppenheim, and Abraham Kaplan, he is widely credited with having fused analytic philosophy and political science.[citation needed] Barry also fused political theory and social choice theory and was a persistent critic of public choice theory.
During his early career, Barry held teaching posts at the University of Birmingham, Keele University and the University of Southampton. In 1965 he was appointed a teaching fellow at University College, and then Nuffield College. In 1969 he became a professor at Essex University.
Barry was Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the London School of Economics. He was awarded the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2001. Barry also taught at the University of Chicago, in the departments of philosophy and political science. During this time he edited the journal Ethics, helping raise its publication standards. Under his editorship, it became perhaps the leading journal for moral and political philosophy.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978. Barry was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York in 2006.
Selected publications
* Why Social Justice Matters (Polity 2005)
* Culture & Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism (2001)
* Justice as Impartiality (1995)
* Theories of Justice (Berkeley, 1989)
* Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory (Oxford, 1989)
* The Liberal Theory of Justice (1973)
* Sociologists, Economists and Democracy (1970)
* Political Argument (1965, Reissue 1990)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Barry
Along with David Braybrooke, Richard E. Flathman, Felix Oppenheim, and Abraham Kaplan, he is widely credited with having fused analytic philosophy and political science.[citation needed] Barry also fused political theory and social choice theory and was a persistent critic of public choice theory.
During his early career, Barry held teaching posts at the University of Birmingham, Keele University and the University of Southampton. In 1965 he was appointed a teaching fellow at University College, and then Nuffield College. In 1969 he became a professor at Essex University.
Barry was Lieber Professor Emeritus of Political Philosophy at Columbia University and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the London School of Economics. He was awarded the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science in 2001. Barry also taught at the University of Chicago, in the departments of philosophy and political science. During this time he edited the journal Ethics, helping raise its publication standards. Under his editorship, it became perhaps the leading journal for moral and political philosophy.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978. Barry was a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of York in 2006.
Selected publications
* Why Social Justice Matters (Polity 2005)
* Culture & Equality: An Egalitarian Critique of Multiculturalism (2001)
* Justice as Impartiality (1995)
* Theories of Justice (Berkeley, 1989)
* Democracy, Power, and Justice: Essays in Political Theory (Oxford, 1989)
* The Liberal Theory of Justice (1973)
* Sociologists, Economists and Democracy (1970)
* Political Argument (1965, Reissue 1990)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Barry
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 14, 2016
An important academic text, but of interest only to students and those with a strong desire to explore the development of the economic and sociological roots of politics. Written in 1970, the book is entirely focused on the development of major schools of thought in both areas, primarily the preceding 30 years but with reference back to foundational thinkers such as John Stuart Mill, Thomas Hobbes, August Comte, Jeremy Bentham and others.
The book contains six substantive chapters sandwiched between an excellent introduction and conclusion. The second chapter examines two major economists’ contributions to political theory – Anthony Downs’ ‘An Economic Theory of Democracy’ and Mancur Olson’s ‘The Logic of Collective Action’ – providing both explanations and detailed critiques of their theories. The third chapter introduces three major sociologists’ contributions – Almond and Verba (‘The Civic Culture’), Harry Eckstein (‘Division and Cohesion in Democracy’) and Seymour Lipset (‘Political Man’ and ‘The First New Nation’).
The fourth chapter is devoted entirely to sociologist Talcott Parsons, in particular his first book ‘The Structure of Social Action’, and the role of norms and values in voting. The Fifth Chapter delves more deeply into Downs work, including the role of information costs, strategic abstention of voters, and Downs’ problematic expansion of his linear left/right continuum from a two-party system to a multi-party system.
The sixth and seventh chapters: test each field’s claims using US and non-US data; examine the problem of more than one ideological dimension (not just left/right for example but also religious or other ‘value’); examine the aims of political parties and the effect of party competition; and consider whether democracy is a means to an end or an end in itself.
Readers of this book will benefit from previous knowledge of the subject and from familiarity with each economist’s or sociologist’s work, but with careful attention and some time to explore less familiar works or references even newcomers will gain a foundational understanding of issues that continue to underpin the better political writing today.
Reflecting in the book’s conclusion, Barry considers the ongoing development of political theory, and thereby his own book’s importance. “The most striking fact, to me at least, is how primitive is the stage things are still in. By this I mean partly that the theoretical literature of both ‘economic’ and ‘sociological’ approaches is surprisingly sparse, in spite of the number of new books on politics that appear each year.” An excellent critique of major theories up to 1970, and a perfect starting point for analysis of the two social sciences’ progress since.
The book contains six substantive chapters sandwiched between an excellent introduction and conclusion. The second chapter examines two major economists’ contributions to political theory – Anthony Downs’ ‘An Economic Theory of Democracy’ and Mancur Olson’s ‘The Logic of Collective Action’ – providing both explanations and detailed critiques of their theories. The third chapter introduces three major sociologists’ contributions – Almond and Verba (‘The Civic Culture’), Harry Eckstein (‘Division and Cohesion in Democracy’) and Seymour Lipset (‘Political Man’ and ‘The First New Nation’).
The fourth chapter is devoted entirely to sociologist Talcott Parsons, in particular his first book ‘The Structure of Social Action’, and the role of norms and values in voting. The Fifth Chapter delves more deeply into Downs work, including the role of information costs, strategic abstention of voters, and Downs’ problematic expansion of his linear left/right continuum from a two-party system to a multi-party system.
The sixth and seventh chapters: test each field’s claims using US and non-US data; examine the problem of more than one ideological dimension (not just left/right for example but also religious or other ‘value’); examine the aims of political parties and the effect of party competition; and consider whether democracy is a means to an end or an end in itself.
Readers of this book will benefit from previous knowledge of the subject and from familiarity with each economist’s or sociologist’s work, but with careful attention and some time to explore less familiar works or references even newcomers will gain a foundational understanding of issues that continue to underpin the better political writing today.
Reflecting in the book’s conclusion, Barry considers the ongoing development of political theory, and thereby his own book’s importance. “The most striking fact, to me at least, is how primitive is the stage things are still in. By this I mean partly that the theoretical literature of both ‘economic’ and ‘sociological’ approaches is surprisingly sparse, in spite of the number of new books on politics that appear each year.” An excellent critique of major theories up to 1970, and a perfect starting point for analysis of the two social sciences’ progress since.
December 24, 2015
This is an excellent book, written in Barry's inimitably sardonic & accessible style, I can only warmly recommend it to teachers and students of democratic theories alike. I feel like I learned a lot from reading it. Though written in 1969, it's far from dated, and not only because it deals with the classics from the 'sociological' (Parsons, Lipset, Almond, Verba) and 'economic' (Downs, Olson) approaches to the study of politics, but also because the concerns and methodological and conceptual criticism he brings are always relevant. This should be a classic, but one that is actually read.
October 20, 2007
Berry's goal: To see how the economic and sociological approaches work on democratic countries. Focuses on democratic ones because, he says, the economic approach hasn’t been used with developing countries very much (as of 1978). Traces the origins of both the economic and sociological approach and critically evaluates their present-day manifestations.
An interesting read that is very accessible.
An interesting read that is very accessible.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews