Political Psychology

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Cambridge University Press, 1993 M01 29 - 204 páginas
This provocative book takes up and develops the themes of rationality and irrationality in Jon Elster's earlier work. Its purposes are threefold. First, Elster shows how belief and preference formation in the realm of politics are shaped by social and political institutions. Second, he argues for an important distinction in the social sciences between mechanisms and theories. Third, he illustrates those general principles of political psychology through readings of three outstanding political psychologists: the French classical historian, Paul Veyne; the Soviet dissident writer, Alexander Zinoviev; the great French political theorist, Alexis de Tocqueville.

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A HISTORIAN AND THE IRRATIONAL A READING OF BREAD AND CIRCUSES
35
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NEGATION AN ESSAY IN IBANSKIAN SOCIOLOGY
70
TOCQUEVILLES PSYCHOLOGY I
101
TOCQUEVILLES PSYCHOLOGY II
136
REFERENCES
192
INDEX
199
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Página 32 - Had the members committed themselves publicly at first, they would have afterwards supposed consistency required them to maintain their ground, whereas by secret discussion no man felt himself obliged to retain his opinions any longer than he was satisfied of their propriety and truth, and was open to the force of argument.
Página 33 - That combination obviously may be undesirable. A main task of a constituent assembly is to strike the proper balance of power between the legislative and the executive branches of government. To assign that task to an assembly that also serves as a legislative body would be to ask it to act as judge in its own cause. A constitution written by a legislative assembly might be expected to give excessive powers to the legislature.

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