[PDF] The Rational Public eBook

Author : Benjamin I. Page
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 507 pages
File Size : 49,85 MB
Release : 2010-05-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0226644804

GET BOOK

This monumental study is a comprehensive critical survey of the policy preferences of the American public, and will be the definitive work on American public opinion for some time to come. Drawing on an enormous body of public opinion data, Benjamin I. Page and Robert Y. Shapiro provide the richest available portrait of the political views of Americans, from the 1930's to 1990. They not only cover all types of domestic and foreign policy issues, but also consider how opinions vary by age, gender, race, region, and the like. The authors unequivocally demonstrate that, notwithstanding fluctuations in the opinions of individuals, collective public opinion is remarkably coherent: it reflects a stable system of values shared by the majority of Americans and it responds sensitively to new events, arguments, and information reported in the mass media. While documenting some alarming case of manipulation, Page and Shapiro solidly establish the soundness and value of collective political opinion. The Rational Public provides a wealth of information about what we as a nation have wanted from government, how we have changed our minds over the years, and why. For anyone interested in the short- and long-term trends in Americans' policy preferences, or eager to learn what Americans have thought about issues ranging from racial equality to the MX missile, welfare to abortion, this book offers by far the most sophisticated and detailed treatment available.

Author : Ilya Somin
Publisher : Stanford University Press
Page : 277 pages
File Size : 48,43 MB
Release : 2013-10-02
Category : Law
ISBN : 0804789312

GET BOOK

One of the biggest problems with modern democracy is that most of the public is usually ignorant of politics and government. Often, many people understand that their votes are unlikely to change the outcome of an election and don't see the point in learning much about politics. This may be rational, but it creates a nation of people with little political knowledge and little ability to objectively evaluate what they do know. In Democracy and Political Ignorance, Ilya Somin mines the depths of ignorance in America and reveals the extent to which it is a major problem for democracy. Somin weighs various options for solving this problem, arguing that political ignorance is best mitigated and its effects lessened by decentralizing and limiting government. Somin provocatively argues that people make better decisions when they choose what to purchase in the market or which state or local government to live under, than when they vote at the ballot box, because they have stronger incentives to acquire relevant information and to use it wisely.

Author : S.M. Amadae
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 414 pages
File Size : 41,32 MB
Release : 2003-10-15
Category : History
ISBN : 0226016544

GET BOOK

Offering a fascinating biography of a foundational theory, Amadae reveals not only how the ideological battles of the Cold War shaped ideas but also how those ideas may today be undermining the very notion of individual liberty they were created to defend.

Author : Bill King
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 15,84 MB
Release : 2014
Category : Moderation
ISBN : 9781939055897

GET BOOK

Bringing together the best of King's work, the book explores topics ranging from the demographic revolution sweeping America to the pressing need for Social Security reform to the place of religious faith in politics. King's reach extends from Houston's local government scene to the Austin statehouse and the halls of Congress. Whatever the subject, King's dispassionate, fact-driven approach to hot-button issues sets him apart from other political observers. His clear explanation of complex subjects provides welcome perspective on topics that have become muddled by partisan interpretations.

Author : Bryan Caplan
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 11,51 MB
Release : 2011-08-15
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 1400828821

GET BOOK

The greatest obstacle to sound economic policy is not entrenched special interests or rampant lobbying, but the popular misconceptions, irrational beliefs, and personal biases held by ordinary voters. This is economist Bryan Caplan's sobering assessment in this provocative and eye-opening book. Caplan argues that voters continually elect politicians who either share their biases or else pretend to, resulting in bad policies winning again and again by popular demand. Boldly calling into question our most basic assumptions about American politics, Caplan contends that democracy fails precisely because it does what voters want. Through an analysis of Americans' voting behavior and opinions on a range of economic issues, he makes the convincing case that noneconomists suffer from four prevailing biases: they underestimate the wisdom of the market mechanism, distrust foreigners, undervalue the benefits of conserving labor, and pessimistically believe the economy is going from bad to worse. Caplan lays out several bold ways to make democratic government work better--for example, urging economic educators to focus on correcting popular misconceptions and recommending that democracies do less and let markets take up the slack. The Myth of the Rational Voter takes an unflinching look at how people who vote under the influence of false beliefs ultimately end up with government that delivers lousy results. With the upcoming presidential election season drawing nearer, this thought-provoking book is sure to spark a long-overdue reappraisal of our elective system.

Author : Bryan Douglas Caplan
Publisher :
Page : 276 pages
File Size : 34,77 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780691129426

GET BOOK

"Caplan argues that voters continually elect politicians who either share their biases or else pretend to, resulting in bad policies winning again and again by popular demand. Calling into question our most basic assumptions about American politics, Caplan contends that democracy fails precisely because it does what voters want. Through an analysis of American's voting behavior and opinions on a range of economic issues, he makes the case that noneconomists suffer from four prevailing biases: they underestimate the wisdom of the market mechanism, distrust foreigners, undervalue the benefits of conserving labor, and pessimistically believe the economy is going from bad to worse. Caplan lays out several ways to make democratic government work better

Author : Dennis Chong
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 47,91 MB
Release : 2000-04
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780226104386

GET BOOK

In contrast to this view, Dennis Chong shows that a single model that combines economic and sociological mechanisms can explain how people make decisions across both cultural and economic realms. He argues that the investments we make in the norms and values of our communities reflect the influence of our psychological dispositions, as well as the social and material costs and benefits of the options we face."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : Bill King
Publisher :
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 11,25 MB
Release : 2018-12-16
Category :
ISBN : 9781791678722

GET BOOK

2nd Edition Are you weary of the barrage of hyper-partisan spin that fills our public discourse? If so, Unapologetically Moderate is for you. This book is a collection Bill King's previous essays on a wide variety of political and public policy issues. Each essay is grounded the same fact-based, pragmatic approach for which Bill is known by his readers. It explores topics ranging from the demographic revolution sweeping the world to the pressing need for Social Security reform to the place of religious faith in politics. It is King's dispassionate, fact-driven approach to hot-button issues sets him apart from most political commentators seeking to score political points against their opponents. His clear explanation of complex subjects provides welcome perspective on topics that have become muddled by partisan interpretations.

Author : L. Lewin
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 38,52 MB
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9400989555

GET BOOK

One of the most promising trends in modem political science is the develop ment of a theory of politics as rational action. Focussing on choice as the central topic of study, rational choice theorists set out to specify what alter native an actor should prefer if he has some given knowledge of the conse quences of each alternative and wants to see his preference system as fully realized as possible. But rational choice theory is not confmed to the norma tive sphere of science. It can also be used for explanatory purposes. Then, the alternatives actually chosen are specified and the task is to explain the decisions by fmding out what considerations lay behind them. The starting point for an emerging research program at the Department of Government, Uppsala University, on 'Politics as Rational Action' is to describe the major choices in fifteen different policy areas of Swedish domes tic politics and explain why they were made.