Equality, Self-Government and Democracy: a Critique of Dahl's Political Equality

Abstract

D EMOCRACY and equality are necessarily linked in political theory. What is problematic is the nature of this linkage. Many critics of contemporary liberal democratic practice are concerned that inequalities in political resources among citizens threaten the very democratic character of these states. They believe that formal equality among citizens is not enough to maintain any meaningful conception of popular rule when substantive inequalities of political resources are too great. Some of these critics argue that substantive equality in political resources among citizens is an ideal standard by which to guide reform and measure the extent to which a polity is fully democratic. While initially appealing, such an egalitarian standard and its resulting strategy for reform is fundamentally mistaken. I shall argue that substantive democratic egalitarianism fails to appreciate the very complex and in some ways essential roles which substantive political inequalities play in a democratic polity. The relationship of equality to democracy is a complicated one. It is most adequately comprehended when we think of democracy as a system of community self-government seeking laws and practices beneficial to the community as a whole.