Liberalism and democracy have long been assumed to exist in a complementary relationship, if not always an entirely easy one. This book scrupulously investigates the reason for this alliance and the sources of its tensions, providing a lucid and succinct introduction to some of the subject’s central concepts and concerns. “Italy’s leading legal and political philosopher ... one of the most authoritative figures in his country’s politics.”— Guardian Norberto Bobbio was one of Italy’s foremost thinkers. He taught at a number of universities, including Siena, Padua and Turin; his other works include Left and Right and Democracy and Dictatorship: The Nature and Limits of State Power . Martin Ryle is Senior Lecturer in Continuing Education at the University of Sussex. His previous books include The Politics of Nuclear Disarmament , Ecology and Socialism , and Journeys in Ireland . Kate Soper teaches philosophy and cultural theory at the University of North London. Her previous works include On Human Needs , What is Nature? Culture, Politics and the Non-Human and, with Verso, Troubled Pleasures .