ABSTRACT
Anthony Downs in An Economic Theory of Democracy has argued that the problem of information makes political equality an impossible ideal in modern society. This chapter explores the challenge to political equality in the modern state as Downs sees it, and briefs how there is a deep difficulty with the idea of rational democratic deliberation in a large population of citizens. There are four basic sources of inequality that result from the problem of participation and rational ignorance. The four sources were discussed fully by Anthony Downs, and they demonstrate how deeply the circumstances of the modern state challenge the democratic ideals of political equality and rational deliberation. The chapter reviews theses sources of inequality. The processes of social discussion and deliberation are the chief means by which citizens become informed in a democratic society.
