Kevin J. Elliott, "Democracy for Busy People" (U Chicago Press, 2023)
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What is the central problem that “Democracy for Busy People” aims to solve?
Hi everyone, this is Marshall Poe. I'm the founder of the New Books Network and I'm also a historian. I used to be a history professor and I love maps, so I'm especially happy to tell you that this episode is sponsored by What's Your Map, which was the winner of the Best Education Podcast at the 2025 British Podcast Awards. What's Your Map is hosted by historian and prize-winning author Professor Jerry Broughton. In each episode, he invites a guest to share a map close to their heart and unfurl the ideas, inspirations, and stories behind it. I can tell you I've listened and it's fascinating. The podcast is in its sixth series and is enjoyed by audiences around the globe. You can explore all the maps in the podcast online.
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Hello, and thanks for joining us for this episode of New Books and Philosophy, which is part of the New Books Network. I'm Robert Talese. I'm professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University. I co-host the program with Carrie Figter, Malcolm Keating, and Sarah Tyson. My guest today is Kevin Elliott. Kevin is lecturer in ethics, politics, and economics at Yale University. He specializes in political theory with an emphasis on democracy and citizenship. His new book has just been published with University of Chicago Press. It's titled Democracy for Busy People. John Dewey and Jane Addams are both credited with the claim that the cure for democracy's ills is always more democracy. This sentiment is popular to this day among democratic theorists and democratic practitioners.
The thought is that there's a democratic deficit that lies at the root of any political or social problem that a democracy might confront. Accordingly, a good deal of work in democratic theory aims to design new practices and institutions that can erase the deficit. But this strategy raises a problem. The civic task of democratic citizenship needs to be manageable. for ordinary citizens. And ordinary citizens are differentially busy with other pursuits, many of which are independently valuable to them and even socially beneficial. Thus, the proposal for more democracy can be exclusionary. Now, in the book Democracy for Busy People, Kevin addresses this difficulty head on. He devises a conception of the civic responsibilities of citizenship that's authentically democratic, but not overly demanding.
Now, as usual, there's a lot to talk about. So let's begin, as we normally do, with the author. Hi, Kevin. How are you?
I'm very well, Bob. How are you? Thank you for having me.
It's all good. Yeah, I'm doing well. So we usually start with the author himself. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Sure, yeah. So I am a California native. Grew up in the South Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, in the heart of Silicon Valley. What has become Silicon Valley since I have left there, really. um uh you know went to public school public high school all that kind of stuff down there um and then uh went to college at ucla um and then uh you know neither of my parents went to college uh so when i got there i kind of didn't know what i was supposed to do uh you know i think a lot of people will sometimes have this experience and so for me i i had the very fortunate um uh experience of taking a class on the history of social thought, which really kind of gave me that liberal arts experience of being sort of awakened to sort of a critical awareness of the world and a little bit of having kind of the curtain pulled back and seeing kind of gears that are, you know, making the world turn.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the central problem that “Democracy for Busy People” aims to solve?
0:00–7:28
2
How does Kevin Elliott’s personal background shape his view of democratic citizenship?
7:28–15:52
3
Why does the book argue that ordinary citizens are often excluded from democratic participation?
15:52–24:09
4
What is “standby citizenship” and how does it balance democratic duties with everyday busyness?
24:09–33:36
5
How does the “paradox of empowerment” challenge the idea that more democratic institutions automatically increase inclusion?
33:36–42:03
6
Why are elections considered the most accessible democratic tool for busy people?
42:03–49:32
7
What role do political parties play in simplifying politics for citizens with limited time?
49:32–57:45
8
Can deliberative mini‑publics and sortition meaningfully expand democratic participation for busy citizens?
57:45–1:05:42
Speakers
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