Can a country be a democracy if its government only responds to the preferences of the rich? In an ideal democracy, all citizens should have equal influence on government policy--but as this book demonstrates, America's policymakers respond almost exclusively to the preferences of the economically advantaged. Affluence and Influence definitively explores how political inequality in the United States has evolved over the last several decades and how this growing disparity has been shaped by interest groups, parties, and elections.
With sharp analysis and an impressive range of data, Martin Gilens looks at thousands of proposed policy changes, and the degree of support for each among poor, middle-class, and affluent Americans. His findings are staggering: when preferences of low- or middle-income Americans diverge from those of the affluent, there is virtually no relationship between policy outcomes and the desires of less advantaged groups. In contrast, affluent Americans' preferences exhibit a substantial relationship with policy outcomes whether their preferences are shared by lower-income groups or not. Gilens shows that representational inequality is spread widely across different policy domains and time periods. Yet Gilens also shows that under specific circumstances the preferences of the middle class and, to a lesser extent, the poor, do seem to matter. In particular, impending elections--especially presidential elections--and an even partisan division in Congress mitigate representational inequality and boost responsiveness to the preferences of the broader public.
At a time when economic and political inequality in the United States only continues to rise, Affluence and Influence raises important questions about whether American democracy is truly responding to the needs of all its citizens.
Le informazioni nella sezione "Riassunto" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.
Le informazioni nella sezione "Su questo libro" possono far riferimento a edizioni diverse di questo titolo.
Spese di spedizione:
EUR 2,47
In U.S.A.
Descrizione libro Condizione: New. Codice articolo 20349687-n
Descrizione libro Paperback. Condizione: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Codice articolo Holz_New_0691162425
Descrizione libro Condizione: New. Brand New. Codice articolo 0691162425
Descrizione libro PAP. Condizione: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Codice articolo WP-9780691162423
Descrizione libro paperback. Condizione: New. Language: ENG. Codice articolo 9780691162423
Descrizione libro Soft Cover. Condizione: new. Codice articolo 9780691162423
Descrizione libro Paperback. Condizione: New. Reprint. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes). Codice articolo 001516568N
Descrizione libro Paperback. Condizione: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Codice articolo think0691162425
Descrizione libro Condizione: new. Codice articolo FrontCover0691162425
Descrizione libro Condizione: new. Codice articolo 835f14e4bc3bc32e28dac4c0b815fdc4