When people have the freedom to further their own personal interests in
politics, the results may be disastrous. Chaos? Tyranny? Can a political
system be set up to avoid these pitfalls, while still granting citizens
and politicians the freedom to pursue their interests? Republic at Risk
is a concise and engaging introduction to American politics. The guiding
theme is the problem of self-interest in politics, which James Madison
took as his starting point in his defense of representative government
in Federalist 10 and 51. Madison believed that unchecked self-interest
in politics was a risk to a well-ordered and free society. But he also
held that political institutions could be designed to harness
self-interest for the greater good. Putting Madison's theory to the
test, the authors examine modern challenges to the integrity and
effectiveness of US policy-making institutions, inviting readers to
determine how best to respond to these risks.