THIS brief, tightly packed, and highly stimulating book is an interdisciplinary effort that merits widespread attention (Field is a political scientist at the University of Connecticut, Higley a sociologist at Australian National University). The authors have a twofold agenda-to revive what they call the “elitist paradigm” in political theory, and to point to what they consider its urgent policy implications. On both counts the book is programmatic, but to say that is not a negative criticism. Obviously, as the authors state themselves, a great amount of work needs to be done to support their theses, but the book is eminently successful in raising a crucially important issue.