Examining how people want their democratic government to work, this study finds that Americans don't like many of the practices associated with democracy: the conflicts, the debates, the compromises. It finds that Americans don't want to have to see democracy in practice, nor do they want to be involved in politics. If American citizens had their way, political decisions would be made by unselfish decision-makers, lessening the need for monitoring government.
Author(s): John R. Hibbing, Elizabeth Theiss-Morse
Series: Cambridge Studies in Public Opinion and Political Psychology
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2002
Language: English
Pages: 304
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Figures......Page 13
Tables......Page 14
Acknowledgments......Page 15
THE BOOK’S THESIS......Page 19
THE BOOK’S ORGANIZATION......Page 24
PART I The Benefits of Studying the Processes People Want......Page 31
1 Policy Space and American Politics......Page 33
USING POLICY SPACE TO DERIVE EXPECTATIONS......Page 34
THE LIMITATIONS OF POLICY EXPLANATIONS......Page 37
MORE LIMITATIONS OF POLICY EXPLANATIONS......Page 43
WHY IS POLICY SPACE ALONE INADEQUATE?......Page 48
CONCLUSION......Page 52
PROCESS RATHER THAN POLICY?......Page 54
DELINEATING PROCESS SPACE......Page 58
PROCESS EXPECTATIONS......Page 62
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN PROCESS DESIRES AND PROCESS REALITY......Page 63
DISTINGUISHING PROCESS SPACE......Page 66
The Relationship of Process and Policy Spaces......Page 67
Process Space Has Different Laws Than Policy Space......Page 72
CONCLUSION......Page 78
3 Using Process Space to Explain Features of American Politics......Page 79
POLICY OUTCOMES AND OUTPUTS......Page 80
THE CONSEQUENCES OF PROCESS FRUSTRATIONS......Page 83
EXPLAINING DISAPPROVAL OF GOVERNMENT......Page 85
EXPLAINING PEOPLE’S REACTIONS TO ROSS PEROT......Page 90
EXPLAINING THE DESIRE TO REFORM GOVERNMENT......Page 93
EXPLAINING COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW......Page 95
HIGH INTEREST AND LOW INTEREST......Page 97
CONCLUSION......Page 99
PART II The Processes People Want......Page 103
4 Attitudes toward Specific Processes......Page 105
WHICH WAY SHOULD THE PEOPLE BE EMPOWERED?......Page 107
ATTITUDES TOWARD MORE SPECIFIC REFORM PROPOSALS......Page 113
PUBLIC APPROVAL OF GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS......Page 116
WHO HAS TOO MUCH POWER?......Page 119
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD THE OVERALL POLITICAL SYSTEM......Page 120
BELIEFS ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF GOVERNMENT......Page 122
CONCLUSION......Page 123
EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO PEOPLE AND TO GOVERNMENT......Page 125
HOW DO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE COMPARE WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS?......Page 127
THE AMBIVALENCE OF PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE......Page 130
PEOPLE’S COMMENTS ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE......Page 132
PEOPLE’S COMMENTS ON POLITICIANS......Page 139
CONCLUSION......Page 142
6 Americans’ Desire for Stealth Democracy......Page 147
STEALTH DEMOCRACY......Page 148
IF I DON’T CARE ABOUT AN ISSUE, OTHER REAL PEOPLE PROBABLY DON’T, EITHER......Page 150
PEOPLE’S DISLIKE OF DEBATE, COMPROMISE, AND CONFLICT......Page 152
FONDNESS FOR NONDEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURES......Page 155
MEASURING AND EXPLAINING PREFERENCES FOR STEALTH DEMOCRACY......Page 161
REPRESENTATION......Page 168
STEALTH DEMOCRACY REDUX......Page 174
PART III Should People Be Given the Processes They Want?......Page 179
Four Governing Processes and Possible Reforms......Page 181
Taking Stock......Page 187
THE ALLEGED BENEFITS OF GREATER INVOLVEMENT IN VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS......Page 188
THE ALLEGED BENEFITS OF ENHANCING POLITICAL DELIBERATION AMONG ORDINARY PEOPLE......Page 190
Better Decisions......Page 191
Better (That Is, More Legitimate) System......Page 192
Better People......Page 194
COMMUNITARIANS AND DELIBERATION THEORISTS......Page 197
CONCLUSION......Page 199
8 The Realities of Popular Deliberation and Group Involvement......Page 201
GROUP INVOLVEMENT......Page 202
GETTING PEOPLE TO DELIBERATE MORE......Page 207
Does Deliberation Lead to Better Decisions?......Page 209
Does Deliberation Lead to a Better (That Is, More Legitimate) System?......Page 214
Does Deliberation Lead to Better People?......Page 219
CONCLUSION......Page 225
WE SHOULD JUST ACCEPT THAT GOVERNMENT WILL BE UNPOPULAR......Page 227
ENHANCING EXISTING MECHANISMS OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: EXPOSURE TO POLITICS......Page 229
ENHANCING EXISTING MECHANISMS OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: VOTING......Page 232
REDUCING THE ABILITY OF POLITICIANS TO BE SELF-SERVING......Page 234
TEACHING PEOPLE TO TOLERATE POLITICAL CONFLICT......Page 239
CONCLUSION......Page 245
Epilogue......Page 247
WE ARE NOT PEOPLE-DEMEANING ELITES......Page 248
WE ARE NOT POLITICIAN-DISRESPECTING POPULISTS......Page 253
THE PEOPLE’S PROCESS CONCERNS DO NOT REQUIRE THEM TO BE INFORMED ABOUT PROCESSES......Page 254
PEOPLE ARE NOT AUTHORITARIANS......Page 256
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD POLICIES WILL NOT DO THE TRICK......Page 258
FUTURE RESEARCH......Page 260
NATIONAL SURVEY......Page 264
FOCUS GROUPS......Page 269
Appendix B......Page 273
References......Page 275
Index......Page 293
