An Economic Theory of DemocracyThis book seeks to elucidate its subject-the governing of democratic state-by making intelligible the party politics of democracies. Downs treats this differently than do other students of politics. His explanations are systematically related to, and deducible from, precisely stated assumptions about the motivations that attend the decisions of voters and parties and the environment in which they act. He is consciously concerned with the economy in explanation, that is, with attempting to account for phenomena in terms of a very limited number of facts and postulates. He is concerned also with the central features of party politics in any democratic state, not with that in the United States or any other single country. |
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Page 17
... individual men . On the other hand , the individualistic view is incomplete because it does not take coalitions into considera- tion . As we shall see in Chapter 2 , when a small group of men acting in coalition runs the apparatus of ...
... individual men . On the other hand , the individualistic view is incomplete because it does not take coalitions into considera- tion . As we shall see in Chapter 2 , when a small group of men acting in coalition runs the apparatus of ...
Page 161
... individual rationality — not all individuals can achieve pure rationality at once . In a democracy , political power is theoretically the same for all men ; i.e. , each supposedly has the same opportunity to achieve his goals as does ...
... individual rationality — not all individuals can achieve pure rationality at once . In a democracy , political power is theoretically the same for all men ; i.e. , each supposedly has the same opportunity to achieve his goals as does ...
Page 198
... individual marginal equilibrium in their interaction with it . F. INCOME DISTRIBUTION AS A CAUSE OF BLOCKED MARGINAL EQUILIBRIUM Even if the technical problems involved in measuring individual benefits and conducting low - cost individual ...
... individual marginal equilibrium in their interaction with it . F. INCOME DISTRIBUTION AS A CAUSE OF BLOCKED MARGINAL EQUILIBRIUM Even if the technical problems involved in measuring individual benefits and conducting low - cost individual ...
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Common terms and phrases
abstain alternatives analysis assume assumption axiom basic benefits cause ceteris paribus citizen X coalition competition conclusion cost of voting decision-making democracy Derived from Chapter discount distribution of voters division of labor economic theory economists effect election period electorate equal ernment exist extremist fact favor free information free market gain goals government action government policy government's groups hence ideologies incumbents indifferent individual influence irrational issue Kenneth Arrow marginal cost marginal equilibrium maximize means ment motives multiparty system oligopoly opposition parties outcome Paretian optimum party differential party's pay-off political information political parties position possible preferences problem Proposition rational citizen rational voter real world reason reëlected return from voting scale selection principles social society strategy tion two-party system uncertainty utility functions utility income V. O. Key views vote-selling voting decision welfare Welfare Economics well-informed zero