Teoria Democrática Contemporânea: o conceito de poliarquia na obra de Robert Dahl

Abstract

This paper analyzes the concept of polyarchy in the work of Robert Dahl. The author makes a distinction between "ideal democracy" and "real democracy". For him, the word "democracy" evokes the original Greek scenario of direct participation, no longer appropriate to classify regimes representative contemporaries. Such schemes are poor approximations of democratic ideals, and therefore should be classified as "polyarchies". Through a literature search, this work aims at identifying and analyzing more specifically, the research that the author conducted in his classic book "Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition," in which he addressed the issue of regime transition, trying to understand what conditions that favor or hinder the transition from a regime not polyarchical to a polyachical regime.