So, here is a text where passages are succinct, favouring plain English over jargon-laden language. The crispness might raise an eyebrow or two given the complexity of the topics.

Peppered throughout are original ideas that, by rights, ought to have seen the light of day in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. The book is neatly parcelled into three segments - foundations, the art of collective decision making, and the hurdles lining the path of representative democracy.

The opening act, 'Foundations of representative democracy' (chapters 1-5), gets the ball rolling with an exploration of democracy, followed by a whistle-stop tour of its six pivotal institutions. It then delves into the major strains of democracy and rounds off with a probing analysis of the seedbed of anti-democratic ideologies.

Next, the curtain lifts on 'collective decision-making' (chapters 6-9), painting it as more than just an economic mechanism. It emerges as a pivotal gear in the machinery of freedom, democracy, and equality - the very ideals that are often weaponized to vilify capitalism.

The grand finale, 'challenges to representative democracy' (chapters 10-12), puts the spotlight on the boogeymen lurking within the belly of popular democracy. .