What is democracy, and what must citizens do to keep it alive? These are ancient questions that have been resolved in different ways through the ages. History teaches that freedom is hard work, and there are no guarantees of its survival.
Even with all that seems discouraging in our own time, Americans should take heart that we the people can make a difference and maintain the continuity of our experiment. This is one of many lessons readers will take away from Brook Manville and Josiah Ober’s new book, The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives. Manville is an organizational expert and former McKinsey vice president who has consulted, written, and taught widely. Ober teaches in the Stanford University School of Humanities. Both have written extensively on ancient Athenian democracy and culture.
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