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Book Cover
E-book
Author Hibbing, John R

Title Stealth democracy : Americans' beliefs about how government should work / John R. Hibbing, Elizabeth Theiss-Morse
Published Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2002

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Description 1 online resource (xiv, 284 pages) : illustrations
Series Cambridge studies in political psychology and public opinion
Cambridge studies in political psychology and public opinion.
Contents pt. 1. The benefits of studying the processes people want -- Policy space and American politics -- Process space: an introduction -- Using process space to explain features of American politics -- pt. 2. The processes people want -- Attitudes toward specific processes -- Public assessments of people and politicians -- Americans' desire for stealth democracy -- pt. 3. Should people be given the processes they want? -- Popular deliberation and group involvement in theory -- The realities of popular deliberation and group involvement -- Improving government and people's attitudes toward it
Summary "Americans often complain about the current operation of their government, but scholars have never developed a complete picture of people's preferred type of government. In this provocative and timely book, John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, employing an original national survey and focus groups, report the specific governmental procedures Americans desire. Their results are surprising. Contrary to the prevailing view that people want greater involvement in politics, most citizens do not care about most policies and therefore are content to turn over decision-making authority to someone else
People's most intense desire for the political system is that decision makers be empathetic and, especially, non-self-interested, not that they be responsive and accountable to the people's largely nonexistent policy preferences or, even worse, that the people be obligated to participate directly in decision making. In light of these findings, Hibbing and Theiss-Morse conclude by cautioning communitarians, direct democrats, social capitalists, deliberation theorists, and all those who think that greater citizen involvement is the solution to society's problems."--Jacket
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-274) and index
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Political participation -- United States -- Public opinion
Democracy -- United States -- Public opinion
Public opinion -- United States
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Civil Rights.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Freedom & Security -- Human Rights.
Democracy -- Public opinion
Political participation -- Public opinion
Public opinion
Politische Einstellung
Demokratie
Politieke participatie.
Inspraak.
Publieke opinie.
Participation politique -- États-Unis -- Opinion publique.
Démocratie -- États-Unis -- Opinion publique.
Opinion publique -- Etats-Unis -- 1970-2000.
United States
USA
Form Electronic book
Author Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth
LC no. 2002073699
ISBN 0511020473
9780511020476
0521811384
9780521811385
0521009863
9780521009867
9780511613722
0511613725
9780511045141
051104514X
0511148283
9780511148286
1107125294
9781107125292
0511302622
9780511302626
0511177372
9780511177378
1280433906
9781280433900