ABSTRACT
Robert Dahl was one of the paradigmatic theorists of democracy, not only for the late twentieth century, but for all time. His books and articles about democracy span five decades, from A Preface to Democratic Theory in 1956 to On Political Equality (2006). These works shed light on participatory and representative democracy, constitutional systems and pluralism, urban politics, governance in non-state organizations such as trade unions, corporations or the PTA, and the concept of global democracy. The term he coined for a democratic government in a large complex society – ‘polyarchy’ – has entered the lexicon of political science.
