In this stimulating analysis, Leif Lewin wrestles with one of the most frustrating problems of contemporary democracy, the difficulty of holding elected leaders responsible for policies. The difficulty is based on the objective complexity and interdependence of policymaking in the modern state and on the tendency of politicians to use that context deliberately to avoid responsibility when policies go bad. The temptation, of course, is understandable, although not, as Lewin reminds us, ethically excusable.
   --G. Bingham Powell, Jr., Political Science Quarterly

This is a powerful book about the relationship between citizens and leaders in a democracy. The former and the latter are linked by accountability, the concept that Lewin places at the heart of his analysis. The analysis is clear, the case studies illustrating the analysis are compelling. This work will occupy an important place on the bookshelf of democratic politics.
   --Sidney Verba, Harvard University

Democratic Accountability ascends far above both the meticulous methodological commitments so dominant in contemporary political science and the tediously trivial arguments advanced by so much contemporary political research to embrace fundamental questions of the first importance in a manner both lively and informative. This is a most original and striking book, both in the sheer erudition Lewin displays and the moral urgency that animates the work.
   --Russell Muirhead, The University of Texas at Austin

This is an intriguing book in the field of policy analysis. Lewin gives seven arguments and counter-examples from the historical, philosophical, and policy analysis literatures to make the point that "Choice is possible!." This is an excellent strategy, and makes a very novel and engaging book.
   --Eleanor Ostrom, Indiana University

Leif Lewin is Johan Skytte Professor of Eloquence and Government, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Read More by Leif Lewin:

• Governing Trade Unions in Sweden