Democracy Against Domination

The 2008 collapse of the US financial system plunged the economy into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, raising deep moral and institutional questions about the problems of economic inequality and economic power on the one hand, and the tensions between democracy and bureaucratic policymaking on the other. In Democracy Against Domination , K. Sabeel Rahman draws on a rich tradition of political economy rooted in the thought and reformpolitics of early twentieth-century progressives like John Dewey and Louis Brandeis to argue that, first, we should reconceive economic governance as focused not just on growth or efficiency but rather on counteracting the threat of domination whether in the form of corporate power or inequitable markets; andsecond, that we must do so by expanding the capacity of citizens themselves to exercise real political power in economic policymaking. Synthesizing a range of insights from law, history, political theory, and public policy, Rahman combines a fresh normative approach to democratic theory and economic power with a concrete analysis of the institutions needed to realize urgent hopes for a more equitable and democratic economy.

The ultimate failure of economic regulation, the author argues, derives from viewing the market's problems as technical problems, to be solved by experts, rather than problems of political domination to be solved by altering democratic institutions. The author finds precedence for his interpretation in the writings of Louis Brandeis and John Dewey. Pragmatic regulation by democratically selected grassroots participants promises better outcomes than elite technocrats selected for their expertise. Summing Up: Highly recommended., The financial crisis prompted arcane debates about regulatory reform and much public outrage, but little rethinking of how citizens can have a voice in governing the economy - until now. Sabeel Rahman criticizes the managerial, technocratic approach to regulation and offers a morally robust, democratic alternative. The most important book about democracy and the regulatory state since the financial crisis., The gods endowed Sabeel Rahman with a democratic soul. Ordinary citizens need not give over the regulatory state to managers and experts. We can combat concentrated power and remoteness from government by boldly redesigning the scale and scope of institutions. Rahman shows that these ideas have deep American roots, and that citizens can own crucial policy decisions, starting right now., Sabeel Rahman is a new, bold, and original voice in the fields of law, history, and political economy. This book brilliantly heeds Walt Whitman's prophetic call in Democratic Vistas for 'a force-infusion of intellect' to confront 'the dominant play of solely materialistic bearings upon current life in the United States.'

K. Sabeel Rahman is Assistant Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School.