Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom

Between Rules and Practice

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, Government
Cover of the book Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom by Maxwell A. Cameron, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Maxwell A. Cameron ISBN: 9780190694357
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: June 19, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Maxwell A. Cameron
ISBN: 9780190694357
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: June 19, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Societies create rules that govern our practices. Such rules can only be effective, however, if the intermediaries between rules and practices--institutions--harness the skill, knowledge, and motivation of practitioners. Yet, everywhere institutions seem to be failing. Over-reliance on rules and incentives has not only corrupted the intrinsic motivations that arise from practice, it has also promoted the spread of competitive utility maximizing and thereby discouraged the kind of moral agency necessary for institutions to work well. In Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom, Maxwell Cameron takes this basic insight as his starting point to argue that the rapid spread of the tenets of a neoliberal political-economic philosophy in our era has contributed to the erosion of institutional capacity. The book contributes to an emerging field of social science research grounded in the Aristotelian idea of phronesis, or practical wisdom. Drawing on a wide range of examples, Cameron not only shows how good institutions depend on wise practitioners, he argues that contemporary democratic institutions are being assaulted by excessive partisanship and the hollowing-out of democratic deliberation, by the corrupting effects of money in politics, and by the use of neoliberal techniques of governance that are designed to foster competition rather than the pursuit of common goods. At once a valuable guide to designing effective institutions and a trenchant critique of contemporary institutional failure, Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom promises to reshape our understanding of one of the most basic building blocks of contemporary social and political life.

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

Societies create rules that govern our practices. Such rules can only be effective, however, if the intermediaries between rules and practices--institutions--harness the skill, knowledge, and motivation of practitioners. Yet, everywhere institutions seem to be failing. Over-reliance on rules and incentives has not only corrupted the intrinsic motivations that arise from practice, it has also promoted the spread of competitive utility maximizing and thereby discouraged the kind of moral agency necessary for institutions to work well. In Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom, Maxwell Cameron takes this basic insight as his starting point to argue that the rapid spread of the tenets of a neoliberal political-economic philosophy in our era has contributed to the erosion of institutional capacity. The book contributes to an emerging field of social science research grounded in the Aristotelian idea of phronesis, or practical wisdom. Drawing on a wide range of examples, Cameron not only shows how good institutions depend on wise practitioners, he argues that contemporary democratic institutions are being assaulted by excessive partisanship and the hollowing-out of democratic deliberation, by the corrupting effects of money in politics, and by the use of neoliberal techniques of governance that are designed to foster competition rather than the pursuit of common goods. At once a valuable guide to designing effective institutions and a trenchant critique of contemporary institutional failure, Political Institutions and Practical Wisdom promises to reshape our understanding of one of the most basic building blocks of contemporary social and political life.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The History of Childhood: A Very Short Introduction by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Infotopia : How Many Minds Produce Knowledge by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Cultural Awareness - Resource Books for Teachers by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book A History of the Crusades by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Why the Civil War Came by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies, Volume 1 by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book The Conservative Human Rights Revolution by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Love and Toil by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book The Internet Revolution in the Sciences and Humanities by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Shostakovich by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Totalitarianism by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Why America Fights : Patriotism And War Propaganda From The Philippines To Iraq by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Faith and the Presidency From George Washington to George W. Bush by Maxwell A. Cameron
Cover of the book Women and Leadership by Maxwell A. Cameron
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