SKU: 157147811

Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government

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Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive GovernmentWhy our belief in government by the people is unrealistic and what we can do about it Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens. Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels deploy a wealth of social scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics

Why our belief in government by the people is unrealistic--and what we can do about it

Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens.

Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels deploy a wealth of social-scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics ranging from abortion politics and budget deficits to the Great Depression and shark attacks, to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters--even those who are well informed and politically engaged--mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues. They also show that voters adjust their policy views and even their perceptions of basic matters of fact to match those loyalties. When parties are roughly evenly matched, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such as economic spurts or downturns beyond the incumbents' control; the outcomes are essentially random. Thus, voters do not control the course of public policy, even indirectly.

Achen and Bartels argue that democratic theory needs to be founded on identity groups and political parties, not on the preferences of individual voters. Now with new analysis of the 2016 elections, Democracy for Realists provides a powerful challenge to conventional thinking, pointing the way toward a fundamentally different understanding of the realities and potential of democratic government.

-- "Choice"

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 08/29/2017
ISBN: 9780691178240
Pages: 408
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.20d
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SKU: 157147811

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And N
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Great but Pain
It’s alright, does the job as it is supposed to. It’s easy to use and helped fix my Uniqlo jacket that was all matted. It didn't restore it to it's original form however it did unmat it. If I bought this way before and touched up the jacket, I think it would of been perfect to this day still. Maintenance of those jackets are a must! The brush is strong and works well for fluffing it up because of the metal wiring. The only bad parts are that it can hurt if you accidentally poke or scratch yourself, I actually got cut by it when I quickly was brushing. It’s kind of hard to get the lint off the brush but it's better than others and might hurt because of the metal. But overall, it’s a cool tool that makes my jacket fluff again!
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2024
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Watasnozle
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 4
Works well, however…
Purchased this to give life back to my Sherpa backed blankets. This is a well made brush handle is comfortable. The teeth are strong and durable. They did not bend around while I used it and maintained its shape. The problem I guess I’m seeing is that it doesn’t get deep down into the fabric to it’s just a surface “petting”. Maybe if the teeth were further apart or something. But does seem to provide some form of fluff.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
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Verified Purchase
Epona65770
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Very useful
Works great on polar fleece. I also use it gently on. My jeans to get rid of dig hair. Speaking of dog hair, I have been known to run this gently over the dog's coat.works great for that too.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
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Meagan
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Works great, faux fur blanket is like new again!
Just used this on a faux fur pet blanket that I have had for 2 years and never brushed. It worked amazingly! Since it was so matted it took a bit to do the whole blanket (50” x 40”) but short strokes got it looking like new very easily. Some fibers came out in the brushing along with pet hairs, but the rug shedding was minimal.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2026
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R. Hall
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
O. M. G. It worked so great!
First, let me say, I'm not getting paid for this. This is personal experience. I was about to discard this rug. 1. It's old, like 13 years old. 2. It's been in storage for 4 years. 3. It's matted, as you can see in the pictures. 4. It's brown. Them I saw how much rugs are!😳So I had to come up with something. This was cheap to see if I could salvage it and not spend over $100 on a new rug. The dirt and lint that came out was gross. But as you can see, I was able to make it look new-ish again. I'm keeping the rug and this brush! I have other sheepskin rugs that are smaller and brand new, so this will come in handy.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2026

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