Why read Democracy and Decision?

Book cover of Democracy and Decision: The Pure Theory of Electoral Preference

Book description

Do voters in large scale democracies reliably vote for the electoral outcomes most in their interest? Much of the literature on voting predicts that they do, but this book argues that fully rational voters will not, in fact, consistently vote for the political outcomes they prefer. The authors offer a…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Democracy and Decision as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Randall Holcombe

Author

Brennan and Lomasky build on the idea that voters know their one vote will not affect an election outcome, and conclude that therefore the utility people get from voting comes solely from the value they get from expressing their opinion. Because of this, they explain why voters may vote for alternatives they would not choose if the choice were theirs alone. They vote for options that make them feel good about casting their vote, so tend to vote more based on emotional reasons than based on what is best for themselves, or what is in the public interest.

From Randall's list on voter preferences and democratic decision-making.