In this book, one of the world's most distinguished political scientists discusses the problems, strengths, and weaknesses of democracy as a method of decision making for modern governments. Robert A. Dahl examines the principles on which the authority of democratic government rests, the question of who "the people" should be in the concept of "rule by the people," and the kinds of democracy that fit different situations. In a new chapter Dahl acknowledges the importance of market-oriented economies to democratic institutions but advises newly democratic governments to adopt a system in which unregulated markets are modified by a certain amount of governmental intervention.