New Books in Political Science Natasha Piano, "Democratic Elitism: The Founding Myth of American Political Science" (Harvard UP, 2025)
Nov 1, 2025
Natasha Piano, an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at UCLA and author of "Democratic Elitism," delves into the often misunderstood Italian School of Elitism. She clarifies how thinkers like Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, and Robert Michels critiqued the assumption that democracy is synonymous with elections. Piano warns that this conflation breeds disillusionment and highlights the need for democratic renewal through education and institutional support. She argues that these elite theorists were, in fact, advocating for a more nuanced understanding of democracy beyond mere electoral processes.
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Elections Are Necessary But Not Sufficient
- The Italian School argued elections alone don't equal democracy and can mask plutocratic capture.
- Democracy requires institutions beyond ballots that check wealth and sustain popular legitimacy.
Pareto: Watch Elite Circulation
- Pareto warned that electoral systems facilitate elite collaboration and plutocratic corruption.
- He urged democratic constraints on elites to prevent demoralization and authoritarian demagoguery.
The River Of Elite Renewal
- Pareto's 'elite circulation' is like a river that must renew from popular sources to remain legitimate.
- When elites detach from majority needs, circulation stalls and instability follows.
