Book contents
- Following Their Leaders
- Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society
- Following Their Leaders
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Instrumental and Expressive Voting
- 3 Influences over Preference Formation
- 4 Preference Aggregation through Voting
- 5 The Formation of Political Preferences
- 6 Anchor Preferences and Derivative Preferences
- 7 Preferences of Elites and Masses
- 8 Policies That Maximize Political Power
- 9 Patriotism, Propaganda, and the Public Interest
- 10 Implications for Democracy
- References
- Index
2 - Instrumental and Expressive Voting
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 March 2023
- Following Their Leaders
- Cambridge Studies in Economics, Choice, and Society
- Following Their Leaders
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Instrumental and Expressive Voting
- 3 Influences over Preference Formation
- 4 Preference Aggregation through Voting
- 5 The Formation of Political Preferences
- 6 Anchor Preferences and Derivative Preferences
- 7 Preferences of Elites and Masses
- 8 Policies That Maximize Political Power
- 9 Patriotism, Propaganda, and the Public Interest
- 10 Implications for Democracy
- References
- Index
Summary
The idea that the political preferences of citizens and voters are expressive rather than instrumental is well established, and lays a foundation for understanding why citizens and voters adopt the policy preferences offered to them by the elite. Voters realize that no matter how they vote, election outcomes will be unaffected. When they make choices in the market, they get what they choose. When they make political choices, what they get is unaffected by what they choose. Thus, voters may vote for outcomes they would not choose if the choice were theirs alone. The distinction between instrumental and expressive preferences, discussed in this chapter, lays a foundation for the material that follows.
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- Following Their LeadersPolitical Preferences and Public Policy, pp. 20 - 38Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023