1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910780288303321

Autore

Hibbing John R.

Titolo

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

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2002

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

Descrizione fisica

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

Collana

Cambridge studies in public opinion and political psychology

Disciplina

323/.042/0973

Soggetti

Political participation - United States - Public opinion

Democracy - United States - Public opinion

Public opinion - United States

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

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

Nota di bibliografia

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

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.