something, like bribery. Power threatens severe punishment, such as jail or loss of a job. Coercion is power with no way out. Physical force is backing up coercion with use or threat of bodily harm. Thus, the governments that use influence at the higher end of the scale are best. The worst use the unpleasant forms of influence at the lower end. Writing on democracy and polyarchies Dahl wrote many books on democracy throughout his career. The most influential are Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition (1971) and Democracy and Its Critics (1989). In Polyarchy, Dahl uses the term "polyarchy" to refer to actual cases of democracy and provides a comprehensive discussion of possible causes of polyarchy. Criteria of a democratic process In his book, Democracy and Its Critics, Dahl clarifies his view about democracy. No modern country meets the ideal of democracy, which is as a theoretical utopia. More specifically, argued that five criteria could be used for evaluating how democratic a process is: Effective participation - All members ought to have equal and effective opportunities to make their views known to other members. Voting equality - All members ought to have an equal and effective opportunity to vote, with votes counted as equal. Enlightened understanding - All members must have equal and effective opportunities to learn about the consequences and alternatives of a proposal. Control of the agenda - All members must have the exclusive opportunity to choose if or how matters will be placed on the agenda. Inclusion of adults - All or most of adult permanent residents should be given the full rights of the above four criteria. Institutions of polyarchy However, as in his earlier book Polyarchy, Dahl held that some countries approximated those ideals and could be classified as "polyarchies" inasmuch as they had "seven institutions, all of which must exist for a government to be classified as a polyarchy": Elected officials - "Control over government decisions about policy is constitutionally vested in elected officials." Free and fair elections - "Elected officials are chosen in frequent and fairly conducted elections in which coercion is comparatively uncommon." Inclusive suffrage - "Practically all adults have the right to vote in the election of officials." Right to run for office - "Practically all adults have the right to run for elective offices in the government, though age limits may be higher for holding office than for the suffrage." Freedom