| Description |
1 online resource (245 pages) : illustrations |
| Contents |
Democracy is crazy -- Don't know much about ... well, anything, really -- "We the people" are irrational -- Electoral madness -- Restoring some sanity -- Procedures, process, and prophecy -- Letting off steam -- Overcoming our weaknesses -- Throwing the bums out -- The means justify the ends |
| Summary |
"Voters often make irrational decisions based on inaccurate and irrelevant information. Politicians are often inept, corrupt, or out of touch with the will of the people. Elections can be determined by the design of the ballot and the gerrymandered borders of a district. And yet, despite voters who choose candidates according to the boxer--brief dichotomy and politicians who struggle to put together a coherent sentence, democracy works exceptionally well: citizens of democracies are healthier, happier, and freer than citizens of other countries. In Democracy Despite Itself, Danny Oppenheimer, a psychologist, and Mike Edwards, a political scientist, explore this paradox: How can democracy lead to such successful outcomes when the defining characteristic of democracy -- elections -- is so flawed?Oppenheimer and Edwards argue that democracy works because regular elections, no matter how flawed, produce a variety of unintuitive, positive consequences. The brilliance of democracy, write Oppenheimer and Edwards, does not lie in the people's ability to pick superior leaders. It lies in the many ways that it subtly encourages the flawed people and their flawed leaders to work toward building a better society"--Publisher's description |
| Analysis |
COGNITIVE SCIENCES/Psychology/Cognitive Psychology |
|
SOCIAL SCIENCES/Political Science/General |
|
SOCIAL SCIENCES/Political Science/Public Policy & Law |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Notes |
English |
|
Print version record |
| Subject |
Democracy -- Psychological aspects
|
|
Voting -- Psychological aspects
|
|
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Ideologies -- Democracy.
|
|
Democracy -- Psychological aspects
|
|
Voting -- Psychological aspects
|
| Form |
Electronic book
|
| Author |
Edwards, Mike, 1978-
|
| LC no. |
2011031504 |
| ISBN |
9780262301701 |
|
0262301709 |
|
1283448971 |
|
9781283448970 |
|
0262525216 |
|
9780262525213 |
|
9786613448972 |
|
6613448974 |
|
0262300958 |
|
9780262300957 |
|
