Robert Dahl

Robert Dahl
Dahl teaching a political science class at Yale University
Born
Robert Alan Dahl

(1915-12-17)December 17, 1915
DiedFebruary 5, 2014(2014-02-05) (aged 98)
Spouses
  • Mary Louise Bartlett (1940–1970)
  • Ann Sale (1973–2015)
Children5
AwardsJohan Skytte Prize (1995)
Academic background
Education
ThesisSocialist Programs and Democratic Politics: An Analysis
Academic advisors
Influences
Academic work
DisciplinePolitical science
Sub-disciplinePolitical theory
InstitutionsYale University
Notable students
Main interestsDemocracy, Democratization
Notable ideas
Influenced

Robert Alan Dahl (/dɑːl/; December 17, 1915 – February 5, 2014) was an American political theorist and Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University.

He established the pluralist theory of democracy—in which political outcomes are enacted through competitive, if unequal, interest groups—and introduced "polyarchy" as a descriptor of actual democratic governance. An originator of "empirical theory" and known for advancing behavioralist characterizations of political power, Dahl's research focused on the nature of decision making in actual institutions, such as American cities.[1][2] He is the most important scholar associated with the pluralist approach to describing and understanding both city and national power structures.[3]

In addition to his work on the descriptive theory of democracy, he was long occupied with the formulation of the constituent elements of democracy considered as a theoretical but realizable ideal. By virtue of the cogency, clarity, and veracity of his portrayal of some of the key characteristics of realizable-ideal democracy, as well as his descriptive analysis of the dynamics of modern pluralist-democracy, he is considered one of the greatest theorists of democracy in history.

  1. ^ Rodrigues, Adrien; Lloyd-Thomas, Matthew (February 7, 2014). "Dahl's Legacy Remembered". Yale Daily News. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  2. ^ Campbell, John C. (Fall 1985). "Controlling Nuclear Weapons: Democracy Versus Guardianship". Foreign Affairs. No. Fall 1985. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Caves, R. W. (2004). Encyclopedia of the City. Routledge. p. 164.