of expression - "Citizens have a right to express themselves without the danger of severe punishment on political matters broadly defined, including criticism of officials, the government, the regime, the socioeconomic order, and the prevailing ideology." Alternative information - "Citizens have a right to seek out alternative sources of information. Moreover, alternative sources of information exist and are protected by laws." Associational autonomy - "citizens ... have a right to form relatively independent associations or organizations, including independent political parties and interest groups." Conditions favourable for democratic institutions In his book On Democracy, Dahl sets out five conditions that favor democratic institutions. He deems three of them essential and the remaining two solely favourable. Essential condition for democracy: Control of military and police by elected officials Democratic beliefs and political culture No strong foreign control hostile to democracy Favourable conditions for democracy: A modern market economy and society Weak subcultural pluralism On the value of democracy In his book On Democracy, Dahl addressed the question "Why should we support democracy?" and argued that "democracy has at least ten advantages" relative to nondemocracies: Avoiding tyranny Essential rights General freedom Self determination Moral autonomy Human development Protecting essential personal interests Political equality Peace-seeking Prosperity Later writings In his later writing, Dahl examined democracy, in particular in the United States, with a critical view. In How Democratic Is the American Constitution? (2001), Dahl argued that the US Constitution is much less democratic than it ought to be, given that its authors were operating from a position of "profound ignorance" about the future. However, he adds that there is little or nothing that can be done about this "short of some constitutional breakdown, which I neither foresee nor, certainly, wish for." In On Political Equality (2006), Dahl addresses the issue of equality and discusses how and why governments have fallen short of their democratic ideals. He assesses the contemporary political landscape in the United States. Major works The best known of Dahl's works include: Dahl, Robert A. 1950. Congress and Foreign Policy. New York: Harcourt, Brace Dahl, Robert A. (1957). "The Concept of Power." Systems Research and Behavioral Science 2(3), 201–215. Dahl, Robert A. (1957). "Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Supreme Court as a National Policy-Maker." Journal of Public Law 6: 279–295. Full text. Resources on Dahl and his research Baldwin, David, and Mark Haugaard (eds.). 2018. Robert A. Dahl: An Unended Quest. Routledge.