The idea that democratic governance rests on active self-rule by citizens plays surprisingly little part in current theories of democracy, which instead stress the importance of representation by elected, appointed, or randomly selected bodies.
This would have astonished 18th-century theorists of democracy, who viewed universal suffrage and majoritarian voting as the sole criteria for democratic politics.
“Active and Passive Citizens” defends the view of these thinkers, asserting that individual agency is the very essence of democracy.
