Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government

by Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels,
Tulsa World, June 19, 2016

These days, the idea of democratic government is immensely popular among people all over the world. Substantial majorities of people in virtually every country believe that democracies make it possible for the preferences of informed citizens about their own self-interests and the collective good to become national policy.