The political economy of expertise : information and efficiency in American national politics / / Kevin M. Esterling

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910966450903321
• Autore: Esterling Kevin M.
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Ann Arbor, MI, USA, : University of Michigan Press, 2004; University of Michigan Press
• ISBN: 1-282-44456-5; 9786612444562; 0-472-02390-X
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (301 p.)
• Disciplina: 322.430973
• Soggetti: Pressure groups - United States; Policy sciences; POLITICAL SCIENCE; General; Political Institutions & Public Administration - U.S., Legislative Branch; Government - U.S; Law, Politics & Government
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di contenuto: Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- 1. Democracy in an Age of Information and Analysis -- Part I. The Politics of Policy Expertise -- 2. Policy Expertise and Accountability to Citizens -- 3. Policy Expertise and Interest Group Pressure -- 4. Policy Expertise and Congressional Learning -- Part II. The Case Studies -- 5. Introduction to the Case Studies -- 6. Emissions Trading and Confidence from EPA Experimentation -- 7. School Choice, Uncertainty, and Conceptual Ambiguities -- 8. HMOS and Methodological Ambiguities -- 9. Discussion of the Cases -- 10. The Political Economy of Expertise -- Appendix: Validity and Reliability Issues -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index.
• Sommario/riassunto: The Political Economy of Expertise is a carefully argued examination of how legislatures use expert research and testimony. Kevin Esterling ; demonstrates that interest groups can actually help the legislative process by encouraging Congress to assess research and implement well-informed policies. More than mere touts for the interests of Washington insiders, these groups encourage Congress to enact policies that are likely to succeed while avoiding those that have too great of a risk of failure. The surprising result is greater legislative efficiency. The Political Economy of Expertise illustrates that this system actually favors effective and informed decision making, thereby increasing the likelihood that new policies will benefit the American public. Kevin M. Esterling is Assistant Professor at the University of California, Riverside.