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Book Cover
E-book

Title A behavioral theory of elections / Jonathan Bendor [and others]
Published Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, ©2011

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Description 1 online resource (ix, 254 pages) : illustrations
Contents Bounded rationality and elections -- Aspiration-based adaptive rules -- Party competition -- Turnout -- Voter choice -- An integrated model of two-party elections -- Elections with multiple parties -- Conclusions: bounded rationality and elections -- The computational model
Summary Most theories of elections assume that voters and political actors are fully rational. While these formulations produce many insights, they also generate anomalies--most famously, about turnout. The rise of behavioral economics has posed new challenges to the premise of rationality. This groundbreaking book provides a behavioral theory of elections based on the notion that all actors--politicians as well as voters--are only boundedly rational. The theory posits learning via trial and error: actions that surpass an actor's aspiration level are more likely to be used in the future, while those that fall short are less likely to be tried later. Based on this idea of adaptation, the authors construct formal models of party competition, turnout, and voters' choices of candidates. These models predict substantial turnout levels, voters sorting into parties, and winning parties adopting centrist platforms. In multiparty elections, voters are able to coordinate vote choices on majority-preferred candidates, while all candidates garner significant vote shares. Overall, the behavioral theory and its models produce macroimplications consistent with the data on elections, and they use plausible microassumptions about the cognitive capacities of politicians and voters. A computational model accompanies the book and can be used as a tool for further research
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-245) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Elections.
Voting -- Psychological aspects
Behaviorism (Political science)
elections.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- General.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Process -- Elections.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- Theory.
Behaviorism (Political science)
Elections
Voting -- Psychological aspects
Verkiezingen.
Kiesgedrag.
Psychologische aspecten.
Form Electronic book
Author Bendor, Jonathan B
ISBN 9781400836802
1400836808