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Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory: A Critique of Applications in Political Science
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 320
EAN: 9780300066364
ISBN: 0300066368
Label: Yale University Press
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 254
Publication Date: September 10, 1996
Publisher: Yale University Press
Studio: Yale University Press
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Editorial Review:
In this sure-to-be controversial book, two eminent political scientists critique one of the major approaches to their science-the Rational Choice School-and demonstrate that its much-heralded achievements are in fact deeply suspect.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - An Uninsightful and Unbalanced Assessment
The authors identify three major rational choice theorists, Arrow, Downs, and Olson, and argue that there has been little empirical support for the application of their approach to political theory. The authors correctly identify two types of rational agent theory, "thin" and "thick." The former represents the agent of decision theory, as modeled by Savage and others. The latter represents the rational actor of economic theory: self-regarding, pursuing materialistic goals, an omniscient decision ... Read More
Rating:  - fun to read
As a believer in rational choice theory I believe this to be a useful book. Formal theorists in political science can benefit from its suggestion of research avenues that others in the profession would find interesting. They can also benefit from a better understanding of the threat some corners of political science perceive from the formal techniques of rational choice.
Reports of formal theory's death are greatly exaggerated. Non-formal types must keep that in mind as they read this, half ... Read More
Rating:  - Deals the cult a mortal blow
This book is an excellent debunking of the rat choice cult and its high priests. By using rat choices own methodologies, Green and Shapiro prove that the cult has been a monumental waste of time and highly destructive in pol sci/IR. A timely book that (hopefully) will kill off the pseudo-scientific pretensions of the cultists and open up the discipline to more informative approaches and theories. One can but hope that the cult's grip on hiring practices is about to be loosened.
Rating: - A Must Read for All Political Scientists
Whether you are a hard-core believer in RC theory or the most outspoken opponent of it, Green and Shapiro provide a provactive, well-researched examination of the ability of rational choice theory to explain political behavior. While decidedly anti-RC in their discussions, it is of immense value to those of us who favor rational choice theory as well. We need to face the facts (occasionally!) and give serious consideration to the shortfalls outlined in this book. In many ways, it presents RC theory ... Read More
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