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Full-Text Articles in Law
Making And Unmaking Citizens: Law And The Shaping Of Civic Capacity, Tabatha Abu El-Haj
Making And Unmaking Citizens: Law And The Shaping Of Civic Capacity, Tabatha Abu El-Haj
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
American democracy is more fragile today than in recent memory. As evidence of stubborn imbalances in political influence grow, so too does public skepticism concerning the relative benefits of our democratic institutions. Scholars have taken note, and two dominant camps have emerged to offer proposals for restoring democratic accountability and responsiveness. The first, like the public, identifies the flood of money into electoral politics as the primary source of our troubles, whereas the second points to political parties as the root of the crisis. More recently, however, a nascent third approach has emerged. Looking beyond the usual suspects—money in politics …
The Bar In America: The Role Of Elitism In A Liberal Democracy, Philip S. Stamatakos
The Bar In America: The Role Of Elitism In A Liberal Democracy, Philip S. Stamatakos
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Part I of this Note argues that liberal democracy, the free market, and science have contributed to the increasing atomization of American society. When each person and her views are glorified, universal standards of good become undermined, values become relative, and a sense of community becomes evanescent. Part II argues that individualism is incapable of accounting for the commonweal and therefore is inherently amoral because morality is concerned largely with determining when an individual's will should be subservient to the will of others. Part III considers the nature of elitism and equality and attributes the demise of elitist institutions in …