Timothy Kersey is part-time Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 2011. His research interests include contemporary democratic theory, comparative political behavior, and the social and political effects of technology.

• Introduction 1. Two Approaches to Elite Dominance 2. A Theory of Constrained Elitism 3. The Contemporary Networked Public Sphere 4. Constraint in the Networked Public Conclusion Conclusion

'There is no shortage of talk about the impact of the internet on democracy. Yet very little of this debate has seriously engaged with contemporary democratic theory. By developing an original theoretical framework for understanding new forms of communication and public participation, this book brings together previously insular perspectives in a way that both political theorists and communication scholars should welcome.' - Kari Karppinen, University of Helsinki, Finland'Constrained Elitism makes a valuable contribution to the conceptualization of the liberal public sphere in relation to contemporary communicative practices. It offers a considered, informative, and persuasive account of how today’s networked communications are helping to shape relationships between and amongst elites and non-elites within liberal democratic political systems. The central contribution of the book is to provide a general model of how networked communications are on the one hand enhancing the self-organizational capacity of publics, with the effect of increasing the pressure on elites by non-elite groups to address the latter’s concerns, and on the other hand providing a means for advancing the competitive advantage of particular elites.' - Lincoln Dahlberg, University of Queensland, Australia

Timothy Kersey is part-time Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 2011. His research interests include contemporary democratic theory, comparative political behavior, and the social and political effects of technology.

• Introduction 1. Two Approaches to Elite Dominance 2. A Theory of Constrained Elitism 3. The Contemporary Networked Public Sphere 4. Constraint in the Networked Public Conclusion Conclusion

'There is no shortage of talk about the impact of the internet on democracy. Yet very little of this debate has seriously engaged with contemporary democratic theory. By developing an original theoretical framework for understanding new forms of communication and public participation, this book brings together previously insular perspectives in a way that both political theorists and communication scholars should welcome.' - Kari Karppinen, University of Helsinki, Finland'Constrained Elitism makes a valuable contribution to the conceptualization of the liberal public sphere in relation to contemporary communicative practices. It offers a considered, informative, and persuasive account of how today’s networked communications are helping to shape relationships between and amongst elites and non-elites within liberal democratic political systems. The central contribution of the book is to provide a general model of how networked communications are on the one hand enhancing the self-organizational capacity of publics, with the effect of increasing the pressure on elites by non-elite groups to address the latter’s concerns, and on the other hand providing a means for advancing the competitive advantage of particular elites.' - Lincoln Dahlberg, University of Queensland, Australia

Timothy Kersey is part-time Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 2011. His research interests include contemporary democratic theory, comparative political behavior, and the social and political effects of technology.

• Introduction 1. Two Approaches to Elite Dominance 2. A Theory of Constrained Elitism 3. The Contemporary Networked Public Sphere 4. Constraint in the Networked Public Conclusion Conclusion

'There is no shortage of talk about the impact of the internet on democracy. Yet very little of this debate has seriously engaged with contemporary democratic theory. By developing an original theoretical framework for understanding new forms of communication and public participation, this book brings together previously insular perspectives in a way that both political theorists and communication scholars should welcome.' - Kari Karppinen, University of Helsinki, Finland'Constrained Elitism makes a valuable contribution to the conceptualization of the liberal public sphere in relation to contemporary communicative practices. It offers a considered, informative, and persuasive account of how today’s networked communications are helping to shape relationships between and amongst elites and non-elites within liberal democratic political systems. The central contribution of the book is to provide a general model of how networked communications are on the one hand enhancing the self-organizational capacity of publics, with the effect of increasing the pressure on elites by non-elite groups to address the latter’s concerns, and on the other hand providing a means for advancing the competitive advantage of particular elites.' - Lincoln Dahlberg, University of Queensland, Australia