Stealth democracy : Americans' beliefs about how government should work / John R. Hibbing, Elizabeth Theiss-Morse.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hibbing, John R., author.

Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth, author.

Series:

Cambridge studies in public opinion and political psychology.

Cambridge studies in public opinion and political psychology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political participation--United States--Public opinion.

Political participation.

Democracy--United States--Public opinion.

Democracy.

Public opinion--United States.

Public opinion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 284 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Americans often complain about the 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, Hibbing and Theiss-Morse, employing an original national survey and focus groups, report the governmental procedures Americans desire. 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 wish 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. 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.

Contents:

Cover; Half-title; Series-title; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Tables; Acknowledgments; Introduction; PART I The Benefits of Studying the Processes People Want; PART II The Processes People Want; PART III Should People Be Given the Processes They Want?; Epilogue; Appendix A; Appendix B; References; Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-274) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-12529-4

0-511-30262-2

0-511-61372-5

0-511-14828-3

0-511-17737-2

0-511-04514-X

1-280-43390-6

0-521-00986-3

OCLC:

475918006