Adam Przeworski (; born May 5, 1940) is a Polish-American professor of
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
specializing in
comparative politics
Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...
. He is Carroll and Milton Professor Emeritus in the Department of Politics of
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
. He is a scholar of democratic societies, theory of
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
,
social democracy
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...
and
political economy
Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Poland when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany. His parents were physicians. His father, whom he never met, was conscripted in the Polish army in 1939 and killed in the 1940
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...
by Soviet troops.
His uncle
Andrzej Przeworski
Andrzej Przeworski (11 February 1900 – 24 November 1952) - was a Polish footballer, referee and manager. He played in Cracovia (1914–1920, 1922–1926), WKS Warsaw (1920), Polonia Warsaw (1920–1922) and Legia Warsaw (1922). His debut in n ...
was a Polish footballer, referee and manager. His wife is a former senior manager at the OECD and the UN and the founding director of the Bard Center for Environmental Policy. Their daughter Molly Przeworski is a Population Geneticist. Przeworski is a fan of the English football club Arsenal.
Przeworski graduated from
Warsaw University
The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...
in 1961 with a MA in philosophy and sociology. In Warsaw, Przeworski met a Northwestern University political science professor, R. Barry Farrell. Farrell persuaded Przeworski to move to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to study political science. According to Przeworski, "I don’t remember if I had the smarts to ask him what political science was: I did not know what it was. But even if he had asked me if I wanted to work on a ship sailing around the world, I would have said ‘‘yes.’’ I was twenty years old, and I would have gone anywhere to do anything."
Przeworski received his Ph.D. in political science from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 1966. Thereafter, he taught at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
(1969–1973), the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
(1973–1995), and
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
(NYU) (1995–present). He is currently Professor Emeritus at NYU.
At the University of Chicago, he was awarded the title of Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor. At NYU, he was Carroll and Milton Petrie Professor of Politics and (by courtesy) of Economics Emeritus. He also held visiting appointments in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
September Group
Analytical Marxism is an approach to Marxist theory that was prominent amongst English-speaking philosophers and social scientists during the 1980s.
Described by G. A. Cohen as "non-bullshit Marxism", members of this school seek to apply the t ...
of
analytical Marxists
Analytical Marxism is an approach to Marxist theory that was prominent amongst English-speaking philosophers and social scientists during the 1980s.
Described by G. A. Cohen as "non-bullshit Marxism", members of this school seek to apply the t ...
in 1979 or 1980; he left the group in 1995.
Awards and honors
Przeworski has been the recipient of many awards.
• 1991 Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science
), location=Uppsala, Sweden, date=
The Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science ( sv, Skytteanska priset) was established in 1995 by the Johan Skytte Foundation at Uppsala University. The foundation itself goes back to the donation in 1622 from J ...
for "raising the scientific standards regarding the analysis of the relations between democracy, capitalism and economic development."
• 2018 Juan Linz Prize of the
International Political Science Association
The International Political Science Association (IPSA), founded under the auspices of UNESCO in 1949, is an international scholarly association. IPSA is devoted to the advancement of political science in all parts of the world. During its histor ...
(IPSA)
• 2021 Elected member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences.
• 2021 Elected as "corresponding fellow" of the
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars spa ...
.
Other awards include the 1985 Socialist Review Book Award, Honorary Professor of Chongqing University 2012, a Doctor Honoris Causa by the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman 2016, the Sakip Sabanci International Research Awards’ Jury Prize in 2018, and the 2020 Lawrence Longley Article Awar
The Lijphart/Przeworski/Verba Dataset Award of the Comparative Politics sections of the American Political Science Association (APSA) is named for Przeworski and two other distinguished political scientists. The award recognizes the best publicly accessible data set which benefits the research community as a whole.
Academic research
Przeworski has published widely in a variety of fields. One of his early works, ''The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry'' (1970), is "an important influence on methodological practices in comparative politics."
His two books in the 1980s, ''Capitalism and Social Democracy'' (1985) and the coauthored ''Paper Stones'' (1986), turned to the question of why leftist parties "abandon socialism and adopt instead a reformist agenda within the parameters of capitalism."
Thereafter he wrote several works on various aspects of democracy: ''Democracy and the Market'' (1991), ''Democracy and Development'' (2000), ''Democracy and the Limits of Self-Government'' (2010), ''Why Bother with Elections?'' (2018), and ''Crises of Democracy'' (2019). Among other things, in these works on democracy Przeworski has defended a minimalist conception of democracy in which "democracy is just a system in which rulers are selected by competitive elections."
Przeworski also published two broad overviews of theories of the state and political economy: ''The State and the Economy Under Capitalism'' (1990) and ''States and Markets'' (2003).
Two enduring concerns in Przeworski's research have been: (1) the compatibility of democracy and capitalism, and (2) the possibility of a democratic path to socialism. Przeworski acknowledged that an important influence on his thinking throughout his life has been the works of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
.
''The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry''
In ''The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry'' (1970), Przeworski and Teune introduced the idea of "most similar systems" and "most different systems" designs. This book also introduced a key distinction relevant in research on measurement: the distinction between "common indicators" and "system-specific indicators."
''Capitalism and Social Democracy'' and ''Paper Stones''
In ''Capitalism and Social Democracy'' (1985), and in the companion volume with John Sprague ''Paper Stones: A History of Electoral Socialism'' (1985), Przeworski argues that European socialist parties in the first half of the 20th century faced a sequence of electoral dilemmas. The first dilemma was whether or not to participate in bourgeois elections, when
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...
was progressively established in Europe. The question was whether or not participation would contribute to the struggle for
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...
or strengthen the capitalist order. According to Przeworski, most socialist parties have opted to get involved in elections, since it was a means to advance some of the interests of workers in the short run and, as references to
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels" '' Eduard Bernstein illustrate in Przeworski's book, to move toward socialism.
According to Przeworski, the decision to participate in bourgeois elections led to another dilemma. Given that manual workers were not the numerical majority in any European country, to win elections they had to choose whether or not to compromise their socialist principles and adopt a social democratic agenda to attract the support of allies, especially the middle class. Such compromise had major consequences for socialist parties, including the withdrawal of support of workers, the abandoning of extra-parliamentary tactics, and progressively the defection from socialist policies when in power.
Criticism to Przeworski's account of the dilemmas of social democratic parties have been at least twofold. First, it has been shown that numerical majority is not necessary for social democratic parties to control governments, which implies that social democratic parties do not necessarily need to sacrifice workers’ votes to win elections. Second,
Gøsta Esping-Andersen
Gøsta Esping-Andersen (; born 24 November 1947) is a Danish sociologist whose primary focus has been on the welfare state and its place in capitalist economies. Jacob Hacker describes him as the "dean of welfare state scholars." Over the past ...
argues that Przeworski is mistaken in attempting to differentiate reformist and revolutionary policies, since "we have no accepted criteria for deciding which actions will merely reflect the status quo and which will accelerate historical transformation." Esping-Andersen suggests that policies that leftist parties adopt should be compared based on how they aid the process of class unity.
''Democracy and the Market''
In ''Democracy and the Market'' (1991), Przeworski analyzes events in Eastern Europe and Latin America, focusing on transitions to democracy and market-oriented economic reforms. Przeworski presents a minimalist view of democracy: "Democracy is a system in which parties lose elections.". He analyzes transitions to democracy using rudimentary game theory, and he emphasizes the interdependence of political and economic transformations.
''Democracy and Development''
In ''Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990'' (2000), Przeworski provides a statistical analysis of the causes and consequences of democracy across the globe.
On the causes of democracy, Przeworski assesses
Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset ( ; March 18, 1922 – December 31, 2006) was an American sociologist and political scientist (President of the American Political Science Association). His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union o ...
’s thesis about the impact of economic development on political regimes and finds that Lipset’s argument regarding the association between a high level of economic development and the stability of democracy is supported. However, Przeworski "challenged the view that increases in the level of development are associated with increased prospects of transitions to democracy."
On the consequences of democracy, Przeworski argued, against authors such as Samuel P. Huntington, that "democracies perform as well economically as do authoritarian regimes."
''Democracy and the Limits of Self-Government''
This book is Przeworski's most extended discussion of the ideal of democracy and how much of this ideal can realistically be attained.
The book takes as its point of department that democracy is a set of institutions that must meet four "conditions":
* (1) ''Equality,'' the ability of every citizen to have the same influence on collective decisions
* (2) ''Participation,'' the ability of every citizen to have an effective influence on collective decisions
* (3) ''Representation,'' the implementation of collective decisions by elected representatives
* (4) ''Liberty,'' the respect for individual freedom unimpeded by the state
This way of thinking about democracy is somewhat of a departure for Przeworski, who has been known as a defender of a minimalist conception of democracy. One reviewer argues that in this book Przeworski has gone beyond the standard minimalist conception of democracy associated with
Joseph Schumpeter
Joseph Alois Schumpeter (; February 8, 1883 – January 8, 1950) was an Austrian-born political economist. He served briefly as Finance Minister of German-Austria in 1919. In 1932, he emigrated to the United States to become a professor at H ...
.
Therafter, Przeworski explores the extent to which these conditions can be met and hence what limits are faced by the ideal of democracy. Przeworski argues that democracy has historically faced four challenges: "(1) the incapacity to generate equality in the socioeconomic realm, (2) the incapacity to make people feel that their political participation is effective, (3) the incapacity to ensure that governments do what they are supposed to do and not do what they are not mandated to do, and (4) the incapacity to balance order and noninterference."
Throughout the book, Przeworski offers a sober assessment of the potential of democracy to revert these challenges. One of his central arguments is that, counter to the hope of many, "democracy does not generate more economic equality." However, he cautions that, even though "democracy faces limits to the extent of possible economic equality, effective participation, perfect agency, and liberty", it is important to recognize these limits so as to better elucidate "directions for reforms that are feasible" and "not to criticize democracy for not achieving what no political arrangement can achieve."
''Why Bother with Elections?''
In this 2018 book, Adam Przeworski addresses a classic question, why should democracy be valued?
Przeworski considers that democracy is a "method of processing conflicts." He poses the question in the following terms: “Are there good reasons to think that if rulers are selected through contested elections their decisions will be rational, that governments will be representative, the economy will perform well, the distribution of income will be egalitarian, and people will live in liberty and peace?" And he concludes that the strongest rationale for supporting democracy is that it generates civil peace.
His reasoning is worth quoting at length. Przeworski holds that “In the end, the miracle of democracy is that conflicting political forces obey the results of voting. People who have guns obey those without them. Incumbents risk their control of governmental offices by holding elections. Losers wait for their chance to win office. Conflicts are regulated, processed according to rules, and thus limited. This is not consensus, yet not mayhem either. Just regulated conflict; conflict without killing. Ballots are “paper stones.”
''Crises of Democracy''
Przeworski's ''Crises of Democracy'' (2019) analyzes the threats to democracy in the twenty-first century in established democracies and argues that the problems are not just of a political nature. He holds that the problems have deep economic, social, and cultural roots.For a review of ''Crises of Democracy'', see https://sreview.soc.cas.cz/pdfs/csr/2021/03/08.pdf
Major works
* Przeworski, Adam, and Henry Teune. 1970. ''The Logic of Comparative Social Inquiry.'' New York: Wiley.
* Cortés, Fernando, Adam Przeworski, and John Sprague. 1974. ''Systems Analysis for Social Scientists''. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1975. “Institutionalization of Voting Patterns, or is Mobilization the Source of Decay.” ''American Political Science Review'' 69(1): 49-67.
* Przeworski, Adam, and Michael Wallerstein. 1982. “The Structure of Class Conflict in Democratic Capitalist Societies.” ''American Political Science Review'' 76(2): 215-38.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1985. ''Capitalism and Social Democracy''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam, and John Sprague. 1986. ''Paper Stones: A History of Electoral Socialism.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1986. “Some Problems in the Study of the Transition to Democracy,” pp. 47–63, in Guillermo O’Donnell, Philippe Schmitter, and Laurence Whitehead (eds.), ''Transitions from Authoritarian Rule. Comparative Perspectives''. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam, and Michael Wallerstein. 1988. "Structural Dependence of the State on Capital." ''American Political Science Review'' 82(1): 11–29.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1990. ''The State and the Economy Under Capitalism''. New York: Harwood Academic Publishers.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1991. ''Democracy and the Market: Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira, José María Maravall, and Adam Przeworski (eds.). 1993. ''Economic Reforms in New Democracies: A Social-Democratic Approach''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam, and Fernando Limongi. 1993. "Political Regimes and Economic Growth." ''Journal of Economic Perspectives'' 7(3): 51–6 * Przeworski, Adam, et al. 1995. ''Sustainable Democracy''. New York: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam, and Fernando Limongi. 1997. "Modernization: Theories and Facts." ''World Politics'' 49(2): 155–83.
* Przeworski, Adam, Susan C. Stokes and Bernard Manin (eds.) 1999. ''Democracy, Accountability and. Representation''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam. 1999. “Minimalist Conception of Democracy: A Defense,” pp. 23–55, in Ian Shapiro and Casiano Hacker-Cordón (eds.), ''Democracy’s Value''. New York, NY: Cambridge University Pres * Przeworski, Adam, with Michael E. Alvarez, Jose Antonio Cheibub, and Fernando Limongi. 2000. ''Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam, and José María Maravall (eds.) 2003. ''Democracy and the Rule of Law''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2003. ''States and Markets: A Primer in Political Economy''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Jennifer Gandhi and Adam Przeworski. 2007. "Authoritarian Institutions and the Survival of Autocrats." ''Comparative Political Studies'' 40(11): 1279–1301.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2009. “Conquered or Granted? A History of Franchise Extensions.” ''British Journal of Political Science'' 39(2): 291-321.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2010. ''Democracy and the Limits of Self-Government''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2018. ''Why Bother with Elections?'' London: Polity Press.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2019. ''Crises of Democracy''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Non-academic writings
* Przeworski, Adam. 1992. "The Neoliberal Fallacy." ''Journal of Democracy'' 3(3): 45-5 * Przeworski, Adam. 2000. "Life in the Time of COVID-19." ''Concilium Civitas'' March 19, 2020 * Przeworski, Adam. 2021. "From Revolution to Reformism." ''Boston Review'' Jan. 28, 2021
Resources on Przeworski and his research
* Burawoy, Michael. 1989. “Marxism without Micro-Foundations.” ''Socialist Review'' 19: 53–86.
* Higgins, Winton, and Nixon Apple. 1983. "How Limited Is Reformism?: A Critique of Przeworski and Panitch." ''Theory and Society'' 12,5: 603–30.
* Kitschelt, Herbert. 1993. “Comparative Historical Research and Rational Choice Theory: The Case of Transitions to Democracy.” ''Theory and Society'' 22(3): 413–27. eview of Przeworski's 1991 ''Democracy and the Market.''* Munck, Gerardo L., and Richard Snyder. 2007. "Adam Przeworski: Capitalism, Democracy, and Science,” pp. 456–503, in Gerardo L. Munck and Richard Snyder, ''Passion, Craft, and Method in Comparative Politics''. Baltimore, Md.: The Johns Hopkins University Press. nterview with Adam Przeworski* Munck, Gerardo L. 2011. “Democratic Theory After ''Transitions From Authoritarian Rule'',” ''Perspectives on Politics'' 9(2): 333–43.
* Przeworski, Adam. 2016. "Democracy: A Never-Ending Quest." ''Annual Review of Political Science'' Vol. 19: 1–12 * Przeworski, Adam. 2021. “What Have I Learned from Marx and What Still Stands? ''Politics & Society'' 49(4): 433-450