Rule Breaking and Political Imagination - Softcover

Shepsle, Kenneth A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 022647321X ISBN 13: 9780226473215

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2017

Synopsis

“Imagination may be thought of as a ‘work-around.’ It is a resourceful tactic to ‘undo’ a rule by creating a path around it without necessarily defying it. . . . Transgression, on the other hand, is rule breaking. There is no pretense of reinterpretation; it is defiance pure and simple. Whether imagination or disobedience is the source, constraints need not constrain, ties need not bind.”

So writes Kenneth A. Shepsle in his introduction to Rule Breaking and Political Imagination. Institutions are thought to channel the choices of individual actors. But what about when they do not? Throughout history, leaders and politicians have used imagination and transgression to break with constraints upon their agency. Shepsle ranges from ancient Rome to the United States Senate, and from Lyndon B. Johnson to the British House of Commons. He also explores rule breaking in less formal contexts, such as vigilantism in the Old West and the CIA’s actions in the wake of 9/11. Entertaining and thought-provoking, Rule Breaking and Political Imagination will prompt a reassessment of the nature of institutions and remind us of the critical role of political mavericks.

About this title

About the Author

Kenneth A. Shepsle is the George D. Markham Professor of Government and a founding member of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University.
 

Review

“Shepsle highlights that politicians learn the rules to better break them. At a time when political leaders in the US and elsewhere are seeking to rewrite the rules to their own advantage, this timely book reminds us that institutions exist as long as stakeholders are willing to protect them and that small, apparently benign, transgressions can have long-term consequences.” (Stephane Wolton, London School of Economics and Political Science)

“A home run for those interested in institutional change. Shepsle uses captivating stories to illustrate that devising, revising, and breaking the rules are more than an expected pay-off calculation. At times, breaking rules requires imagination to see downstream further than others or a willingness to take a leap into uncharted waters.” (Lee J. Alston, Indiana University)

“What happens when the rules don’t hem in the most forceful actors? That is the question Shepsle asks in Rule Breaking and Political Imagination. No one interested in the news can fail to be intrigued by the central proposition in his new book." (David Warsh, Economic Principles)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 022647321X
• ISBN 13: 9780226473215
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 176