Rosalee A. Clawson and Zoe M. Oxley (2008). Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice.

Abstract

One of the core principles of a democratic society is that citizens are expected to have some kind of role in the governance of that society. Democratic theorists, however, disagree on whether the people should play a more active or passive role in politics and decision making, and also whether citizens are actually competent enough to function effectively and live up to what is expected of them in a healthy democracy. In their well-written, comprehensive, and engaging textbook Public Opinion: Democratic Ideals, Democratic Practice, Rosalee A. Clawson and Zoe M. Oxley weigh these and other important normative questions central to democratic theory in the light of prominent research in the field of public opinion. The 10 literature review chapters of Clawson and Oxley's book are organized into four sections, and are all clearly linked to underlying normative assumptions and implications. Each section addresses a key empirical question: Are citizens pliable? Do citizens organize their political thinking? Do citizens endorse and demonstrate democratic basics? And finally, what is the relationship between citizens and their government? In each chapter, these fundamental questions are brought into sharp focus as the authors elegantly synthesize a broad range of influential and inspiring studies on public opinion, both classical and recent.