Republicanizing Democracy: An Antidote to Weariness?

Abstract

In her chapter, Rodriguez Rial approaches the weariness of democracy from a particular perspective: that of the republican debate. In this sense, the aim of her text is to analyze the impact of the republican debate on the way that political science has conceptualized democracy. She addresses this question originally through one of the most important works of one of the leading Argentinian political scientists of the past four decades, "Accountability Horizontal" by Guillermo O´Donnell. She mainly focuses on his interpretation of the republican tradition and comparing his views with those of neo-republicans and its critics such as McCormick and Urbinati. In the final section, Rodriguez Rial readdresses democracy weariness and raises the question: Could it be exorcized by the mere republicanization of democracy?.