Jack Knight is professor of political science and law at Duke University and the author of Institutions and Social Conflict. James Johnson is associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester and former editor of Perspectives on Politics.

• Preface ix Part One Chapter 1: Preliminaries 1 Chapter 2: Pragmatism and the Problem of Institutional Design 25 Chapter 3: The Appeal of Decentralization 51 Part Two Chapter 4: The Priority of Democracy and the Burden of Justification 93 Chapter 5: Reconsidering the Role of Political Argument in Democratic Politics 128 Chapter 6: Refining Reflexivity 167 Part Three Chapter 7: Formal Conditions: Institutionalizing Liberal Guarantees 193 Chapter 8: Substantive Conditions: Pragmatism and Effectiveness 222 Chapter 9: Conclusion 256 References 287 Index 307

"Overall, this study is a deeply considered, well argued contribution to contemporary debates about the relationship between democratic processes and context in normative political theory."--Hussein Banai, Political Studies Review "The Priority of Democracy is the result of a long and productive partnership between two serious and seriously smart scholars. Much in the book will be familiar to readers who have been following the article trail of these two over the last 20 years. But nothing to my knowledge puts it all together into a full theory of democracy like this book. Unlike so many books these days, it is not a collection of their greatest hits marketed as a coherent whole. It is a real book that benefits from being read from beginning to end."--Simone Chambers, Perspectives on Politics "[T]he book is a significant contribution to the academic literature on democratic politics and institutional design, one that will hopefully inspire critical response and perhaps some experimentation with democratic institutions."--Shane J. Ralston, Philosophy in Review

Jack Knight is professor of political science and law at Duke University and the author of Institutions and Social Conflict. James Johnson is associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester and former editor of Perspectives on Politics.

• Preface ix Part One Chapter 1: Preliminaries 1 Chapter 2: Pragmatism and the Problem of Institutional Design 25 Chapter 3: The Appeal of Decentralization 51 Part Two Chapter 4: The Priority of Democracy and the Burden of Justification 93 Chapter 5: Reconsidering the Role of Political Argument in Democratic Politics 128 Chapter 6: Refining Reflexivity 167 Part Three Chapter 7: Formal Conditions: Institutionalizing Liberal Guarantees 193 Chapter 8: Substantive Conditions: Pragmatism and Effectiveness 222 Chapter 9: Conclusion 256 References 287 Index 307

"Overall, this study is a deeply considered, well argued contribution to contemporary debates about the relationship between democratic processes and context in normative political theory."--Hussein Banai, Political Studies Review "The Priority of Democracy is the result of a long and productive partnership between two serious and seriously smart scholars. Much in the book will be familiar to readers who have been following the article trail of these two over the last 20 years. But nothing to my knowledge puts it all together into a full theory of democracy like this book. Unlike so many books these days, it is not a collection of their greatest hits marketed as a coherent whole. It is a real book that benefits from being read from beginning to end."--Simone Chambers, Perspectives on Politics "[T]he book is a significant contribution to the academic literature on democratic politics and institutional design, one that will hopefully inspire critical response and perhaps some experimentation with democratic institutions."--Shane J. Ralston, Philosophy in Review

Jack Knight is professor of political science and law at Duke University and the author of Institutions and Social Conflict. James Johnson is associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester and former editor of Perspectives on Politics.

• Preface ix Part One Chapter 1: Preliminaries 1 Chapter 2: Pragmatism and the Problem of Institutional Design 25 Chapter 3: The Appeal of Decentralization 51 Part Two Chapter 4: The Priority of Democracy and the Burden of Justification 93 Chapter 5: Reconsidering the Role of Political Argument in Democratic Politics 128 Chapter 6: Refining Reflexivity 167 Part Three Chapter 7: Formal Conditions: Institutionalizing Liberal Guarantees 193 Chapter 8: Substantive Conditions: Pragmatism and Effectiveness 222 Chapter 9: Conclusion 256 References 287 Index 307

"Overall, this study is a deeply considered, well argued contribution to contemporary debates about the relationship between democratic processes and context in normative political theory."--Hussein Banai, Political Studies Review "The Priority of Democracy is the result of a long and productive partnership between two serious and seriously smart scholars. Much in the book will be familiar to readers who have been following the article trail of these two over the last 20 years. But nothing to my knowledge puts it all together into a full theory of democracy like this book. Unlike so many books these days, it is not a collection of their greatest hits marketed as a coherent whole. It is a real book that benefits from being read from beginning to end."--Simone Chambers, Perspectives on Politics "[T]he book is a significant contribution to the academic literature on democratic politics and institutional design, one that will hopefully inspire critical response and perhaps some experimentation with democratic institutions."--Shane J. Ralston, Philosophy in Review