Democracy For Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels

Why our belief in government by the people is unrealistic—and what we can do about it Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens. Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels deploy a wealth of social-scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics ranging from abortion politics and budget deficits to the Great Depression and shark attacks, to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters—even those who are well informed and politically engaged—mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues.

Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Year:	2016
Binding:	Hardback
ISBN:	9780691169446
Condition:	Good
Description:	DJ; Heavy. DJ torn at front.

This image is of the actual book.

SKU: 1596062
Location: Politics