Anti-pluralism The populist threat to Liberal democracy

In Anti-Pluralism, Galston tells what is by now a familiar story, but he tells it well. Clear and concise, this book is a useful account of the rise of populism and why populism is not the same thing as liberal democracy. Galston's thesis is that the agreement between the people and economic and political elites to allow the elites to govern in exchange for delivering widely shared economic prosperity has broken down. The book places anti-pluralism in a global context, detailing the rise of populism worldwide. Galston sees more equitable sharing of the benefits of economic growth as necessary to address the problem. Here, the reader may quibble--issues other than economic anxiety may be driving the move away from liberal democracy. The policy prescriptions seem simplistic and unoriginal. More needs to be done to ensure that everyone shares the benefits of technological innovation and global trade, but Galston provides few details regarding how this is to be done. It also remains to be seen whether addressing the economic issues suffice in addressing the problem of anti-pluralism. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Paul R Babbitt, Southern Arkansas University