Democracy Despite Itself: Why a System That Shouldn't Work at All Works So Well (First Edition)

Oppenheimer, Danny; Edwards, Mike

ISBN 10: 0262017237 / ISBN 13: 9780262017237

Published by Mit Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2012

About this Item

Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2012. First edition, first printing (with full number line). Hardcover. Black cloth with gilt spine lettering. Fine in a fine dust jacket. A clean, tight, unread copy with no defects. Octavo, 246 pages with index. This book examines the paradoxes of democratic governance, arguing that despite voter bias, misinformation, and irrational behavior, democratic systems display surprising stability and effectiveness. Oppenheimer is a professor of psychology and decision sciences, and Edwards is a political scientist and writer; together they combine empirical research and political analysis to explain why democracy endures despite its flaws.

Seller Inventory # UP-Annex-MIT-1

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Democracy Despite Itself: Why a System That Shouldn't Work at All Works So Well (First Edition)
• Publisher: Mit Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262017237
• ISBN 13: 9780262017237
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

Why democracy is the most effective form of government despite irrational (and sometime oblivious) voters and flawed (and sometimes inept) politicians.

Voters often make irrational decisions based on inaccurate and irrelevant information. Politicians are often inept, corrupt, or out of touch with the will of the people. Elections can be determined by the design of the ballot and the gerrymandered borders of a district. And yet, despite voters who choose candidates according to the boxer–brief dichotomy and politicians who struggle to put together a coherent sentence, democracy works exceptionally well: citizens of democracies are healthier, happier, and freer than citizens of other countries. In Democracy Despite Itself, Danny Oppenheimer, a psychologist, and Mike Edwards, a political scientist, explore this paradox: How can democracy lead to such successful outcomes when the defining characteristic of democracy—elections—is so flawed?

Oppenheimer and Edwards argue that democracy works because regular elections, no matter how flawed, produce a variety of unintuitive, positive consequences. The brilliance of democracy, write Oppenheimer and Edwards, does not lie in the people's ability to pick superior leaders. It lies in the many ways that it subtly encourages the flawed people and their flawed leaders to work toward building a better society.

About the Author

Danny Oppenheimer is on the faculty at UCLA with a joint appointment in Psychology and the Anderson School of Management.