- Hardcover: 280 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press; illustrated edition edition (16 April 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0691129428
- ISBN-13: 978-0691129426
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 370,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
The Myth of the Rational Voter
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Review
The best political book this year. -- Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times
Caplan thinks that democracy as it is now practiced cannot be salvaged, and his position is based on a simple observation: 'Democracy is a commons, not a market.' -- Louis Menand, The New Yorker
One of the two or three best books on public choice in the last twenty years. -- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Like a few recent best sellers--Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, The Wisdom of Crowds--The Myth of the Rational Voter unwraps economic theories and applies them to everyday life. Mr. Caplan's thesis, though, lacks any semblance of a compliment: The 'unwisdom of crowds' is closer to his point. He believes that the American public is biased against sensible, empirically proved economic policies about which nearly all economists agree. Voters, he says, are not just ignorant in the sense of having insufficient information. They actually hold wrong-headed and damaging beliefs about how the economy works. -- Daniel Casse, The Wall Street Journal
The Myth of the Rational Voter usefully extends the discussion [about democracy] by linking it with 'public choice' theory. . . . Public choice theory faces a dilemma. A rational and self-interested person has no incentive to study political issues, as the chances of his or her determining the outcome are negligible. This has become known as 'rational ignorance'. Caplan maintains that the reality is much worse. He shows that voters are not just ignorant but systematically biased in favor of mistaken views. -- Samuel Brittan, Financial Times
Caplan is right to detect a stubborn irrationality in ordinary voters and he correctly points out to his rational choice colleagues that their models are hopelessly unrealistic. -- Martin Leet, Australian Review of Public Affairs
Caplan argues convincingly that irrational behaviour is pervasive among many of us today....Caplan's point, however, is that most voters are irrational. And that is worse than being ignorant....Their irrationality comes with a host of misconceptions that drive policy choices. -- Fazil Mihlar, The Vancouver Sun
This engaging and provocative volume describes why democracy gives us far less than its promise. Countering existing theories of rationally ignorant voters, Caplan argues persuasively that voters are irrational, registering systematically biased beliefs--and consequently votes--against markets and other sound economy policy metrics...[T]his is a compelling book, offering readers a well-written and well-argued competing theory for why democracy fails and why we should limit what is done through the political process. -- M. Steckbeck, Choice
[Caplan] argues that voters' own irrational biases, rather than flaws in the democratic process, compel voters to support policies that are not in their interest. While one may quibble with his specifics, the overall argument is convincing and applicable across a variety of fields...Forces the reader to take a second look at our nation's unshakable faith in the wisdom of the electorate. -- Pio Szamel, Harvard Political Review
A brilliant and disturbing analysis of decision making by electorates that--[Caplan] documents--are perversely ignorant and woefully misinformed. -- Neil Reynolds, The Globe and Mail
Caplan thinks that democracy as it is now practiced cannot be salvaged, and his position is based on a simple observation: 'Democracy is a commons, not a market.' -- Louis Menand, The New Yorker
One of the two or three best books on public choice in the last twenty years. -- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
Like a few recent best sellers--Freakonomics, The Tipping Point, The Wisdom of Crowds--The Myth of the Rational Voter unwraps economic theories and applies them to everyday life. Mr. Caplan's thesis, though, lacks any semblance of a compliment: The 'unwisdom of crowds' is closer to his point. He believes that the American public is biased against sensible, empirically proved economic policies about which nearly all economists agree. Voters, he says, are not just ignorant in the sense of having insufficient information. They actually hold wrong-headed and damaging beliefs about how the economy works. -- Daniel Casse, The Wall Street Journal
The Myth of the Rational Voter usefully extends the discussion [about democracy] by linking it with 'public choice' theory. . . . Public choice theory faces a dilemma. A rational and self-interested person has no incentive to study political issues, as the chances of his or her determining the outcome are negligible. This has become known as 'rational ignorance'. Caplan maintains that the reality is much worse. He shows that voters are not just ignorant but systematically biased in favor of mistaken views. -- Samuel Brittan, Financial Times
Caplan is right to detect a stubborn irrationality in ordinary voters and he correctly points out to his rational choice colleagues that their models are hopelessly unrealistic. -- Martin Leet, Australian Review of Public Affairs
Caplan argues convincingly that irrational behaviour is pervasive among many of us today....Caplan's point, however, is that most voters are irrational. And that is worse than being ignorant....Their irrationality comes with a host of misconceptions that drive policy choices. -- Fazil Mihlar, The Vancouver Sun
This engaging and provocative volume describes why democracy gives us far less than its promise. Countering existing theories of rationally ignorant voters, Caplan argues persuasively that voters are irrational, registering systematically biased beliefs--and consequently votes--against markets and other sound economy policy metrics...[T]his is a compelling book, offering readers a well-written and well-argued competing theory for why democracy fails and why we should limit what is done through the political process. -- M. Steckbeck, Choice
[Caplan] argues that voters' own irrational biases, rather than flaws in the democratic process, compel voters to support policies that are not in their interest. While one may quibble with his specifics, the overall argument is convincing and applicable across a variety of fields...Forces the reader to take a second look at our nation's unshakable faith in the wisdom of the electorate. -- Pio Szamel, Harvard Political Review
A brilliant and disturbing analysis of decision making by electorates that--[Caplan] documents--are perversely ignorant and woefully misinformed. -- Neil Reynolds, The Globe and Mail
Product Description
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.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
What voters don't know would fill a university library. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
What voters don't know would fill a university library. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
If you're an economist it'll confirm that you are as smart as you think. Interesting read.
12 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
Very much a book for economists and academics. Caplan has done his homework and is a well-educated and deep but clear thinker. There is indeed controversy in this book but nothing that would shudder your faith. It occasionally borders on arrogance, elevating the righteousness of economists' doctrine to infallible papacy. There is the sense of padding at the end of the second chapter regarding metadata, although it can be lightly skipped through to maintain the good earlier pace set by the author.
Perhaps most impressive is the theory of rational irrationality and the quantifying of voter ignorance as a non-tradable personal commodity. Very interesting and enriching, although slightly pessimistic in its tone and taste. Nonetheless Caplan leaves you with hope. He is there after all to think for you!
Perhaps most impressive is the theory of rational irrationality and the quantifying of voter ignorance as a non-tradable personal commodity. Very interesting and enriching, although slightly pessimistic in its tone and taste. Nonetheless Caplan leaves you with hope. He is there after all to think for you!
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Economists on the right and the left agree on a surprisingly large number of policy issues. They believe free trade is good, the U.S. budget deficit is not a problem and most human beings are better off now than in the past. Yet the democratic public doesn't agree. It fears trade and foreigners, thinks the budget deficit is a big problem and is pessimistic about the economy even during periods of record economic growth. But the worst part, says economics professor Bryan Caplan, is that the public votes. Drawing on empirical research about voter attitudes, Caplan describes how voters are mistaken about many policy issues and - more importantly - why they are wrong. His account is frighteningly plausible, but so is his solution: more economic education. We recommend this pithy volume to anyone concerned about voters' ostensibly self-defeating behavior. Democracy may be better than the alternatives, but no one said it was easy.
Format:Paperback
Democracy facing herself. An amazing and rational overview to our own decision criterion. It is worth a detailed reading, you will enjoy the image the mirror returns.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A systematic study of voter irrationality
the first 1/3 of the book presents the result of various studies and is quiet boring. The rest is funny and very enlightening. Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2009 by Micha Roon
a bit of a dud
This book is very badly described; the general presentation gives the impression that the book would be amusing as well as controversial. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2007 by Mr. J. Hudson
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