Follow the Leader?
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€34.99
A01=Gabriel S. Lenz
Age Group_Uncategorized
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american election
Author_Gabriel S. Lenz
automatic-update
campaign
candidates
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=JPHF
Category=JPHL
citizenry
citizenship
COP=United States
decision making
defense
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
democracy
democratic thought
economics
economy
elections
electoral
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eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
governing
government
Language_English
natural disaster
PA=Available
performance
policy
political science
politics
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
representation
selection process
softlaunch
united states of america
usa
voters
voting
war
Product details
- ISBN 9780226472140
- Weight: 567g
- Dimensions: 16 x 23mm
- Publication Date: 15 Oct 2012
- Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
- Language: English
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In a democracy, we have come to assume that people know the policies they prefer and elect like-minded officials who are responsible for carrying them out. But does this actually happen? Do citizens consider candidates' policy positions when deciding whom they'll vote for? And how do politicians' performances in office factor into the voting decision? In "Follow the Leader?", Gabriel S. Lenz sheds light on these central questions surrounding democratic thought. Lenz looks at citizens' views on candidates both before and after periods of political upheaval, including campaigns, wars, natural disasters, and episodes of economic boom and bust. Noting important shifts in voters' preferences as a result of these events, he explains that, while citizens do assess politicians based on their performance, their policy positions actually matter much less. Even when a policy issue becomes highly prominent, people are often reluctant to shift their votes to the politician whose position best agrees with their own. In fact, Lenz shows, the reverse often takes place: citizens first pick a politician and then adopt that politician's policy views.
Based on original data drawn from multiple countries, "Follow the Leader?" is the most definitive treatment to date of when and why policy and performance matter at the voting booth, and it will break new ground in the debates about political campaigns.
Gabriel S. Lenz is assistant professor in the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
