Buch, Englisch, 352 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 529 g
Buch, Englisch, 352 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 529 g
ISBN: 978-0-691-09082-5
Verlag: Princeton University Press
Democracy is overrated. Capitalism, on the other hand, doesn't get enough credit. In this provocative and engaging book, John Mueller argues that these mismatches between image and reality create significant political and economic problems--inspiring instability, inefficiency, and widespread cynicism. We would be far better off, he writes, if we recognized that neither system is ideal or disastrous and accepted instead the humdrum truth that both are "pretty good." And, to Mueller, that means good enough. He declares that what is true of Garrison Keillor's fictional store "Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery" is also true of democracy and capitalism: if you can't get what you want there, "you can probably get along without it."Mueller begins by noting that capitalism is commonly thought to celebrate greed and to require discourtesy, deceit, and callousness. However, with examples that range from car dealerships and corporate boardrooms to the shop of an eighteenth-century silk merchant, Mueller shows that capitalism in fact tends to reward behavior that is honest, fair, civil, and compassionate. He argues that this gap between image and reality hampers economic development by encouraging people to behave dishonestly, unfairly, and discourteously to try to get ahead and to neglect the virtuous behavior that is an important source of efficiency and gain.The problem with democracy's image, by contrast, is that our expectations are too high. We are too often led by theorists, reformers, and romantics to believe that democracy should consist of egalitarianism and avid civic participation. In fact, democracy will always be chaotic, unequal, and marked by apathy. It offers reasonable freedom and security, but not political paradise. To idealize democracy, Mueller writes, is to undermine it, since the inevitable contrast with reality creates public cynicism and can hamper democracy's growth and development.Mueller presents these arguments with sophistication, wit, and erudition. He combines mastery of current political and economic literature with references to figures ranging from Plato to P. T. Barnum, from Immanuel Kant to Ronald Reagan, from Shakespeare to Frank Capra. Broad in scope and rich in detail, the book will provoke debate among economists, political scientists, and anyone interested in the problems (or non-problems) of modern democracy and capitalism.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
Acknowledgments xi
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I Capitalism and Democracy: Images and Image Mismatches 5
Capitalism 6
Democracy 7
Ralph's Grocery 10
The Plan of the Book 12
CAPITALISM
CHAPTER 2 Capitalism's Image 21
The Capitalist Virtues 22
The Capitalist Virtues and the Monopolist 38
The Essential Insincerity of Capitalist Morality 38
My Nice Guys Finish First 42
Extrapolating the Capitalist Virtues 43
Capitalist Culture, Capitalist Inequality and Unfairness, Capitalist Competition 45
The Profound Irrationality of Capitalism: Investors as Unintended Altruists 54
CHAPTER 3 Sources of Capitalism's Negative Image 57
Socialists and Communists 57
storytellers 58
Intellectuals 61
Religion 65
Aristocrats and the Honorable 66
Ineffective Capitalist Propaganda 68
Capitalists 70
CHAPTER 4 The Consequences of Capitalism's Image for Economic Development 72
The Unequal Rate of Economic Development 73
Superimposing the Capitalist Virtues 75
Virtue as a Business Innovation 77
The Rise of Business Virtue 83
The Relative Importance of Business Virtue in Economic Development 93
The Relevance of an Effective Legal System to Economic Development 95
CHAPTER 5 Development, Happiness, and the Rise of the Politically Incorrect One-Handed Economist 99
One-Handedness 100
Political Incorrectness 104
Four Economic Propositions That Have Become Increasingly Accepted 106
The Prospects for Massive Economic Growth 122
Economic Development, Professed Happiness, and the Catastrophe Quota 123
Development and the Quest for Happiness 132
DEMOCRACY
CHAPTER 6 Images and Definitions 137
Defining Democracy: Responsive Government 138
Elections: Useful, but Not Essential 140
Political Inequality 145
Democracy in Practice: Coopting the Wealthy 147
Minority Rule and Majority Acquiescence 152
Democracy in Comparison 153
Democracy and Real People 161
CHAPTER 7 Consequences of the Democratic Image 164
Cynicism about the Democratic Process 166
Hyperdemocracy 185
The Rebellion of Minorities 187
The Trouble with Transitology 189
CHAPTER 8 The Rise of Democracy 192
A Democratic Dialogue 193
The Historical Movement of Ideas 195
The Correlates of Democracy 197
The Marketing of Democracy 202
Examining the Third Wave 212
The Future of Democracy 222
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER 9 Democracy and Capitalism: Connections and Disconnections 231
Capitalism without Democracy, Democracy without Capitalism 231
Democracy's Connection with Capitalist Prosperity 234
Democracy's Connection to Capitalist Growth 235
The Connection of Democracy and Capitalism with Crime 238
Conceptional Connections between Democracy and Capitalism 240
APPENDIX An Inventory of Propositions 243
Notes 255
References 289
Index 317
