Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Cultivating Autonomy: The Normative Core of Democracy -- Introduction -- The Value of Autonomy -- Autonomy and Liberal Democracy -- The Requirements of Autonomous Decision-Making -- Free Choice -- Rationality: Between Kant and Hume -- Rational Preference Formation and Infinite Regress -- 'Internalist' and 'Externalist' Rationality -- To what Extent should People be Rational to be Autonomous? -- Communitarianism -- Perfectionism -- Paternalism -- Strong Paternalism -- Weak Paternalism -- Minorities in Collective Decisions -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Deliberative Democracy and Autonomous Decision-Making -- Introduction -- Defining Deliberative Democracy -- Justifications of Deliberative Democracy -- A Deliberative Model of Democracy? -- Deliberative Democracy and Autonomy -- Consensus -- Public Reason -- Hearer Autonomy -- Speaker Autonomy -- The Social Choice Critique -- Abandonment of the 'Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives' Criteria -- Domain Restriction -- Choosing Mechanisms of Aggregation -- Increase in Single-Peaked Preferences -- Reduction of Strategic Action -- Difference Democrats' Critique -- Some Groups Will Participate More than Others -- The Inadequacy of Reason -- Cultural Specificity -- Communicative Democracy -- Deliberative Obligations -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Institutionalising Deliberative Democracy through Secondary Associations -- Introduction -- Clarification of Terms -- The Barriers of Social Complexity -- The Functions of Secondary Associations -- Associations as Locations of Governance -- The Limits of Associationalism Defended -- Associations and Representation -- Associations and the Provision of Information -- Associations and Informal Public Spheres -- Increased Choice for Political Participation and Representation -- Schools of Democracy.

Problems for Associational Democracy -- The Variability of Associations -- Socio-Economic Inequalities -- Conclusion -- A Dualist Model of Deliberative and Associational Democracy -- Introduction -- The Informal Public Sphere -- The Formal Public Sphere - Mediating Forums -- Decentralisation -- Quangos and Forum Organisation -- A New Role for Government and Political Parties -- Representation in the Forums -- The Danger of Co-Option -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Democratising Secondary Associations -- Introduction -- Exit and Voice -- Freedom of Association -- Restriction of Associational Voice -- Freedom of Associational Membership -- The Iron Law of Oligarchy -- Revolution or Democracy? -- A Collective Will for a Single Centre of Power -- The Specialised Nature of Knowledge and the Incompetence of the Masses -- Participation in Associations -- Overcoming Inequalities in Participation -- Evidence of Conducive Dispositions -- Regulation of Associations -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Avoiding the Mischief of Factionalism -- Introduction -- Public versus Private Processes -- Common Good versus Particular Interests -- Universal Common Will versus Minority Opinions -- Common Identity versus Group Affiliations -- Centralisation versus Decentralisation -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.