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Should the democratic exercise of authority that we take for granted in the realm of government be extended to the managerial sphere? Exploring this question, Christopher McMahon develops a theory of government and management as two components of an integrated system of social authority that is essentially political in nature. He then considers where in this structure democratic decision making is appropriate. McMahon examines the main varieties of authority: the authority of experts, authority grounded in a promise to obey, and authority justified as facilitating mutually beneficial cooperation. He also discusses the phenomenon of managerial authority, the authority that guides nongovernmental organization, and argues that managerial authority is best regarded not as the authority of a principal over an agent, but rather as authority that facilitates mutually beneficial cooperation among employees with different moral aims. Viewed in this way, there is a presumption that managerial authority should be democratically exercised by employees.

Originally published in 1994.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface
• 1 Introduction(p. 3)
• Pt. I Authority in General and in Government(p. 23)
• 2 Authority(p. 25)
• 3 Moral Principles and Social Facts(p. 52)
• 4 The Justification of Authority(p. 85)
• 5 Democracy(p. 128)
• Pt. II Managerial Authority(p. 167)
• 6 Management and Morality(p. 169)
• 7 Managerial Authority as P-Authority(p. 194)
• 8 Managerial Authority as C-Authority(p. 231)
• 9 Managerial Democracy(p. 258)
• Works Cited(p. 293)
• Index(p. 303)

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CHOICE Review

Authority and Democracy is a tightly argued book. McMahon seeks to differentiate among three types of authority in private and public organizations: authority based on expertise, authority derived from promises, and authority developed as a result of engaging in a cooperative enterprise. After making these distinctions, the book explores which of the forms of authority managers of organizations can invoke to compel workers to obey their commands. The book argues for a change of perspective, rejecting current conceptions of managerial power as resting either on the threat of dismissal or the property rights claims of owners as constituting a sufficient basis for individuals to control workers. Instead, managerial authority is a cooperative authority, resting on the democratic consent and governance of the employees. Overall, this book draws important linkages among the writings on democracy, management theory, and employee self-ownership. An excellent selection for libraries with collections on these subjects. Upper-division undergraduate through faculty. D. Schultz; University of Minnesota