"The book makes an original, valuable, and important argument about the meaning of democracy and the duties of democratic citizenship. Ly offers a strong antidote to authoritarian populism. Too many political theorists and political scientists, not to mention officials, pundits, and citizens, rely on mistaken premises that Ly deftly exposes and powerfully refutes. Ly's argument needs to be heard."-- Jamie Mayerfeld, author of The Promise of Human Rights: Constitutional Government, Democratic Legitimacy, and International Law "Scholars too often theorize accountability without any sense of accounts, the regular, substantive dialogue between government and governed that representation requires. In an insightful and innovative processual theory of democracy, Minh Ly has righted our ship and infused accountability with fresh meaning. This is political theory that speaks to political practice, and to our times."-- Daniel Carpenter, Harvard University "Ly's Answering to Us criticizes popular will theories of democracy and offers a strong and stirring defense of an equal accountability alternative.

This powerful book illuminates the essential democratic role of independent institutions, minority rights, and civic duties. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the fate of democracy in our times."-- Anna Stilz, University of California, Berkeley " Answering to Us is a wide ranging and profound exploration of the fundamental value of collective self-government and what it takes to have and keep it. Ly's original argument for democracy as equal accountability draws on an extraordinary mastery of political history, moral philosophy, and empirical social science. The book offers a fresh and compelling positive theory of democracy along with a thoughtful critique of theories and practices that fail to recognize how and why human rights are sustained by civic duties."-- Josiah Ober, coauthor of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives "Minh Ly's Answering to Us breaks new ground in political theory by challenging a core assumption in the field: that the 'will of the people' defines democracy. Ly replaces this shibboleth with a powerful conception of accountability, illuminating the essential duties of democratic citizens to oversee their government and prevent abuses of power. Moreover, his innovative framework extends the understanding of human rights beyond national borders.

Ambitious, rigorous, and groundbreaking, this is political theory at its best."-- Corey Brettschneider, author of The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It "In Answering to Us: Why Democracy Demands Accountability , Minh Ly cogently explains how elected authoritarians hide behind the fiction that they are carrying out the will of the people while violating civil liberties, oppressing minorities, and accumulating more power for themselves. This problem, discussed in political writings of the Founders, and before them in ancient Athens, is of pressing importance to America today as the power of the presidency reaches unprecedented proportions. Ly's book is critical to understanding how dangerous this flawed logic is to representative democracy and how we should confront it."-- Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration.