American politics in the age of ignorance : why lawmakers choose belief over research Cover Image

Book

American politics in the age of ignorance : why lawmakers choose belief over research / David Schultz.

Schultz, David A. (David Andrew), 1958- (Author).

Summary:

State and local governments are often trumpeted as laboratories of democracy, capable of significant policy innovation and expertise. Yet the reality is that states more often than not repeatedly reenact failed policies that past research shows do not work. American Politics in the Age of Ignorance contends that policy making is shrouded in many myths and that policy makers often ignore ample research and evidence when it comes to legislating on a range of issues. Examining such hot button issues as restricting immigration and welfare migration, seeking to lure businesses with tax breaks, and providing public subsidies for sports stadiums, this book catalogs a list of repeatedly enacted failed policies that public officials advocate, offering a critical and skeptical analysis of the policy process.

Record details

ISBN: 9781137308719 (hbk.)
ISBN: 1137308710 (hbk.)
Physical Description: vi, 139 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 114-133) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	States as Laboratories of Futility -- The Truth about Taxes: They Don't Matter Much -- Sportsfare: Welfare for Professional Sports -- Welfare Queens, Calculative Criminals, And the Myth of Homo Economicus -- Sending Signals: Illegal Immigrants and Teenage Sex -- Democracy is the Worst Form of Government -- Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me.