Collective Political Rationality

Partisan Thinking and Why It's Not All Bad

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Practical Politics, Social Science
Cover of the book Collective Political Rationality by Gregory E. McAvoy, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gregory E. McAvoy ISBN: 9781317504641
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: May 15, 2015
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Gregory E. McAvoy
ISBN: 9781317504641
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: May 15, 2015
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Amidst the polarization of contemporary politics, partisan loyalties among citizens are regarded as one contributor to political stalemate. Partisan loyalties lead Democrats and Republicans to look at the same economic information but to come to strikingly different conclusions about the state of the economy and the performance of the president in managing it. As a result, many observers argue that democratic politics would work better if citizens would shed their party loyalty and more dispassionately assess political and economic news.

In this book, Gregory E. McAvoy argues—contra this conventional wisdom; that partisanship is a necessary feature of modern politics, making it feasible for citizens to make some sense of the vast number of issues that make their way onto the political agenda. Using unique data, he shows that the biases and distortions that partisanship introduces to collective opinion are real, but despite them, collective opinion changes meaningfully in response to economic and political news. In a comparison of the public’s assessment of the economy to those of economic experts, he finds a close correspondence between the two over time, and that in modern democracies an informed public will also necessarily be partisan.

Modernizing the study of collective opinion, McAvoy's book is essential reading for scholars of American Public Opinion and Political Behavior.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Amidst the polarization of contemporary politics, partisan loyalties among citizens are regarded as one contributor to political stalemate. Partisan loyalties lead Democrats and Republicans to look at the same economic information but to come to strikingly different conclusions about the state of the economy and the performance of the president in managing it. As a result, many observers argue that democratic politics would work better if citizens would shed their party loyalty and more dispassionately assess political and economic news.

In this book, Gregory E. McAvoy argues—contra this conventional wisdom; that partisanship is a necessary feature of modern politics, making it feasible for citizens to make some sense of the vast number of issues that make their way onto the political agenda. Using unique data, he shows that the biases and distortions that partisanship introduces to collective opinion are real, but despite them, collective opinion changes meaningfully in response to economic and political news. In a comparison of the public’s assessment of the economy to those of economic experts, he finds a close correspondence between the two over time, and that in modern democracies an informed public will also necessarily be partisan.

Modernizing the study of collective opinion, McAvoy's book is essential reading for scholars of American Public Opinion and Political Behavior.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book North Korea's Military-Diplomatic Campaigns, 1966-2008 by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Latin American Revolutionaries and the Arab World by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Complicated Grieving and Bereavement by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book The Politics of Islamic Reassertion (RLE Politics of Islam) by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Sustainable Food Futures by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Anthropology and Archaeology by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Cultures of Conflict Resolution in Early Modern Europe by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book New Directions in Sustainable Design by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Working with Experience by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Eurasian Corridors of Interconnection by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Agency, Health And Social Survival by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book A Decent Provision by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book The Organization of Global Negotiations by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Jackie Wilson by Gregory E. McAvoy
Cover of the book Psychosocial Resource Variables in Cancer Studies by Gregory E. McAvoy
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy