Following Their Leaders by Randall G Holcombe

Following Their Leaders by Randall G Holcombe

Models of democratic decision-making tend to assume that voters have preferences and that candidates adjust their platforms to conform with those preferences; however, the direction of causation is largely the opposite. Political elites offer policy platforms to voters, and voters adopt those policies - they follow their leaders. Following Their Leaders argues that policies are designed by the elite and the electorate has little say. Preferences for public policy tend to be anchored in a political identity associated with a candidate, party, or ideology; voters' preferences on most issues are derived from their anchor preferences. Holcombe argues that because citizens adopt the policies offered by the elite, democratic institutions are ineffective constraints on the exercise of political power. This volume explores political institutions that help control the elite who exercise political power and discusses the implications political preferences have on democracies.

Randall G. Holcombe is DeVoe Moore Professor of Economics at Florida State University. He served on Florida Governor Jeb Bush's Council of Economic Advisors from 2000 to 2006, and is past president of the Public Choice Society and the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781009323161
ISBN 10	1009323164
Title	Following Their Leaders
Author	Randall G Holcombe
Series	Cambridge Studies In Economics Choice And Society
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2023-03-23
Number of pages	200
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.