Leadership or Chaos : The Heart and Soul of Politics

Combining elements of economic reasoning and political science has proven to be very useful for understanding the broad variation in economic development around the world. In a sense research in this field goes back to the Scottish Enlightenment and Adam Smith’s original plan in his Theory of Moral Sentiments and Wealth of Nations. Leadership or Chaos by Norman Schofield and Maria Gallego is intended as an advanced, self-contained text in political economy dealing with social choice. The theory and empirical analysis are used to examine democratic institutions and elections in the developed world, and the success or failure of moves to democratization in the less developed world. The book closes with a consideration of current quandaries with regard to political and economic stability and climate change and a discussion of the moral foundations of our society. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Political Economy: Risk and Uncertainty....Pages 1-37 Limited Access Society....Pages 39-70 Social Choice....Pages 71-105 Models of the World and Society....Pages 107-126 Elections in the United States....Pages 127-185 Elections in the United Kingdom....Pages 187-224 Elections in Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium....Pages 225-255 Elections in Poland 1997–2005....Pages 257-274 Elections in Russia and the Caucasus....Pages 275-302 Elections in Israel and Turkey....Pages 303-337 Institutions and Development....Pages 339-367 Chaotic Leadership Transitions....Pages 369-414 Concluding Remarks on Knowledge of Science and Society....Pages 415-427 Back Matter....Pages 429-466