Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Democratizing rationality; Part II. Political Institutions: 2. Discursive designs; 3. Complexity; 4. Discursive dynamics; 5. International discursive designs (with Susan Hunter); Part III. Public Policy: 6. Policy sciences of democracy; 7. The ambitions of policy (with Brian Ripley); Part IV. Political Science: 8. The mismeasure of political man; 9. The measure of political man - and woman; 10. Progress and rationality; Part V. Conclusion: 11. On extending democracy; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

In this book the author criticizes the dominance of instrumental rationality and objectivism in political institutions, public policy and in the practice of political science. He argues that the reliance on instrumental rationality has led to the excessive bureaucratization of government.