Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory

Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory
Author: Donald Green
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 1994-09-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0300187084

This is the first comprehensive critical evaluation of the use of rational choice theory in political science. Writing in an accessible and nontechnical style, Donald P. Green and Ian Shapiro assess rational choice theory where it is reputed to be most successful: the study of collective action, the behavior of political parties and politicians, and such phenomena as voting cycles and Prisoner's Dilemmas. In their hard-hitting critique, Green and Shapiro demonstrate that the much heralded achievements of rational choice theory are in fact deeply suspect and that fundamental rethinking is needed if rational choice theorists are to contribute to the understanding of politics. In their final chapters, they anticipate and respond to a variety of possible rational choice responses to their arguments, thereby initiating a dialogue that is bound to continue for some time.

Principles of Politics

Principles of Politics
Author: Joe Oppenheimer
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2012-07-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1107014883

This book presents the rational choice theories of collective action and social choice, applying them to problems of public policy and social justice. Joe Oppenheimer has crafted a basic survey of, and pedagogic guide to, the findings of public choice theory for political scientists. He describes the problems of collective action, institutional structures, regime change, and political leadership.

Rational Choice and Political Power

Rational Choice and Political Power
Author: Dowding, Keith
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2019-07-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1529206332

Featuring a substantial new introduction and two new chapters in the Postscript, this new edition makes one of the most significant works on power available in paperback and online for the first time. The author extensively engages with a body of new literature to elucidate and expand upon the original work, using rational choice theory to provide: • An examination of how, due to the collective action problem, groups can be powerless despite not facing any resistance • Timely engagement with feminist accounts of power • An explanation of the relationship of structure and agency and how to measure power comparatively across societies This book’s unique interaction with both classical and contemporary debates makes it an essential resource for anyone teaching or studying power in the disciplines of sociology, philosophy, politics or international relations.

Rational Choice

Rational Choice
Author: Andrew Hindmoor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2017-09-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137427442

Assuming no prior knowledge, this widely-used and critically-acclaimed text provides a clear introduction to, and uniquely fair-minded assessment of, Rational Choice approaches. The substantially revised, updated and extended new edition includes more substantial coverage of game theory, collective action, 'revisionist' public choice, and the use of rational choice in International Relations.

Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy

Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy
Author: S.M. Amadae
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2003-10-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0226016544

Offering a fascinating biography of a foundational theory, Amadae reveals not only how the ideological battles of the Cold War shaped ideas but also how those ideas may today be undermining the very notion of individual liberty they were created to defend.

Rational Theory of International Politics

Rational Theory of International Politics
Author: Charles L. Glaser
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2010-04-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1400835135

Within the realist school of international relations, a prevailing view holds that the anarchic structure of the international system invariably forces the great powers to seek security at one another's expense, dooming even peaceful nations to an unrelenting struggle for power and dominance. Rational Theory of International Politics offers a more nuanced alternative to this view, one that provides answers to the most fundamental and pressing questions of international relations. Why do states sometimes compete and wage war while at other times they cooperate and pursue peace? Does competition reflect pressures generated by the anarchic international system or rather states' own expansionist goals? Are the United States and China on a collision course to war, or is continued coexistence possible? Is peace in the Middle East even feasible? Charles Glaser puts forward a major new theory of international politics that identifies three kinds of variables that influence a state's strategy: the state's motives, specifically whether it is motivated by security concerns or "greed"; material variables, which determine its military capabilities; and information variables, most importantly what the state knows about its adversary's motives. Rational Theory of International Politics demonstrates that variation in motives can be key to the choice of strategy; that the international environment sometimes favors cooperation over competition; and that information variables can be as important as material variables in determining the strategy a state should choose.

Rational Choice and Democratic Government

Rational Choice and Democratic Government
Author: Tibor Rutar
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2021-09-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000440885

Drawing on a range of data from across disciplines, this book explores a series of fundamental questions surrounding the nature, working and effects of democracy, considering the reasons for the emergence and spread of democratic government, the conditions under which it endures or collapses – and the role of wealth in this process – and the peaceful nature of dealings between democracies. With emphasis on the ‘ordinary’ voter, the author employs rational choice theory to examine the motivations of voters and their levels of political knowledge and rationality, as well as the special interests, incentives and corruption of politicians. A theoretically informed and empirically illustrated study of the birth and downfall of democracies, the extent of voters’ political knowledge and ignorance, the logic of political behaviour in both open and closed regimes, and the international effects of democratic rule, Rational Choice and Democratic Government: A Sociological Approach will appeal to scholars with interests in political sociology, political psychology, economics and political science.

Rational Choice and Democratic Deliberation

Rational Choice and Democratic Deliberation
Author: Guido Pincione
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2006-07-24
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0521862698

This book offers a comprehensive and sustained critique of theories of deliberative democracy.

Nested Games

Nested Games
Author: George Tsebelis
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 1991-08-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520911970

Clearly written and easily understood by the nonspecialist, Nested Games provides a systematic, empirically accurate, and theoretically coherent account of apparently irrational political actions.

Rational Choice

Rational Choice
Author: Jon Elster
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 1986-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0814721699

This series brings together a carefully edited selection of the most influential and enduring articles on central topics in social and political theory. Each volume contains ten to twelve articles and an introductory essay by the editor.