Democratic Elitism: The Founding Myth of American Political Science - Natasha Piano

Natasha Piano argues that the Italian School of Elitism—comprising Pareto, Mosca, and Michels—has been consistently misread. These thinkers did not, as alleged, oppose electoral politics. Rather, they saw elections as just one component of democracy and warned that equating the two leaves publics disillusioned and vulnerable to elite capture.