Both classical political
philosophers and today’s politicians agree that a good society is one in which
people are happy or satisfied with their lives. Happiness, of course, depends on
individual traits and events, but there are also societal factors that can be
affected by political choices.
Benjamin Radcliff uses surveys of happiness and
tests a number of explanatory factors in a series of impeccable statistical
analyses. The surprising fact is that the question of which society makes its
members most satisfied with life has a clear answer, which is…? No spoiler
here – read the book!
Data, methods and theories of contemporary social science can be applied to resolve how political outcomes in democratic societies determine the quality of life that citizens experience. Radcliff seeks to provide an objective answer to the debate between left and right over what public policies best contribute to people leading positive and rewarding lives. Radcliff offers an empirical answer, relying on the same canons of reason and evidence required of any other issue amenable to study through social-scientific means. The analysis focuses on the consequences of three specific political issues: the welfare state and the general size of government, labor…
Michael Tomasello and his research colleagues have developed a theory of
human nature development based on a wealth of empirical material, and they explain in
detail in what ways we differ from other species in nature.
A fascinating fact
is that the evolution of the human species, as far as it can be reconstructed, can also be
traced within child development with things like learning how to communicate, cooperate, and
eventually think morally as mature human beings.
Given this grand overview,
it becomes easier to understand why some societies are more appreciated by
their members than others.
A radical reconsideration of how we develop the qualities that make us human, based on decades of cutting-edge experimental work by the former director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
Virtually all theories of how humans have become such a distinctive species focus on evolution. Here, Michael Tomasello proposes a complementary theory of human uniqueness, focused on development. Building on the seminal ideas of Vygotsky, his data-driven model explains how those things that make us most human are constructed during the first years of a child's life.
Tomasello assembles nearly three decades of experimental work with chimpanzees, bonobos,…
Franklin Roosevelt once stated that nothing in politics happens by
accident.
Alexander Hertel-Fernandez's book is a modern illustration of this
observation, as he shows how the transformation of American politics in recent
decades was engineered by right-wing politicians and economic power-wielders to the point where political scientists now seriously ask the question of whether American democracy is at risk.
This book is valuable background reading for
anyone trying to understand the seemingly erratic behavior of everyday
politics, not only in the United States but across the world's democracies.
Over the past forty years, conservatives have mastered the art of pursuing policy change across the states, while similar liberal efforts have floundered. Using a diverse array of original evidence, including interviews, previously-unexamined archival records, and new surveys, State Capture explains why and how conservatives developed cross-state political clout while progressives did not. The book also carefully documents the implications of conservative cross-state network-building for American democracy, spelling out its consequences for political inequality and representation, as well as for our understanding of the relationship between private-sector businesses, political activists, and wealthy donors.
In State Capture, Alexander Hertel-Fernandez details the…
In a previous book of mine, The Anatomy of
Inequality, I explained in popular terms why inequality will be found in
any society and why this is important both to political philosophy and public
policy. The present book is a full-fledged academic version of the same
message, written for those who take an interest in scientific evidence and
formal models.
No training in mathematics is necessary for grasping general
reasoning, although some chapters rely on mathematical models.
