Rational Lives: Norms and Values in Politics and Society

by Chong, Dennis

• ISBN13: 9780226104393
• ISBN10: 0226104397
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-05-01
• Publisher: UNIV OF CHICAGO PRESS

Summary

Those who study value conflicts have resisted rational choice approaches in the social sciences, contending that political conflict over cultural values is best explained by group loyalties, symbolic motives, and other "nonrational" factors. However, Chong shows that a single model can explain how people make decisions across both social and economic realms. He argues that our preferences result from a combination of psychological dispositions, which are shaped by social influences and developed over the life span. Chong's book yields insights about the circumstances under which preferences, beliefs, values, norms and group identifications are formed. It offers a provocative explanation of how ingrained social norms and values can change over time despite the forces maintaining the status quo. "Going beyond the tired polemics on both sides, [Chong] constructs a new interpretation of human behavior in which culture and individual rationality both matter. The synthesis is a more comprehensive and powerful explanatory framework than either side could have produced, and Chong's creativity should influence subsequent interpretations of our social life in fundamental ways."--Christopher H. Achen, University of Michigan

Author Biography

Dennis Chong is professor of political science at Northwestern University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(10)
Interests versus Values	11	(34)
Rational Choice	12	(8)
Status Politics	20	(4)
Symbolic Politics	24	(2)
Does Rational Choice Theory Survive the Challenges Posed by the Symbolic Politics Research?	26	(16)
Taking Stock of Expressive and Instrumental Theories	42	(3)
A Model of Individual Choice	45	(31)
Dispositions and Incentives	47	(1)
Reference Groups and Conformity	47	(4)
Group Dynamics	51	(2)
A Model of Individual Choice	53	(1)
Incentives: The Meaning of π	54	(2)
Reinforcing Only L	56	(1)
Reinforcing Only R	56	(1)
Dispositions: The Meaning of a and b	57	(2)
Exposure to Both L and R	59	(3)
Deductions: The Interplay between Incentives and Dispositions	62	(12)
Conclusion	74	(2)
Coordination and Conflict	76	(40)
Four Mechanisms of Defense	76	(3)
Coordination Problems	79	(8)
Ethnocentrism	87	(11)
Vested Interests	98	(8)
Majorities and Minorities	106	(7)
Conclusion	113	(3)
Cultural Mobilization	116	(37)
Creating Common Frames of Reference	119	(3)
Deductions	122	(4)
General Strategies	126	(4)
The Element of Surprise	130	(4)
Convergence on a Focal Point	134	(7)
Arguing with Principles	141	(9)
Conclusion	150	(3)
Economics Meets Morality in a Texas Community	153	(33)
Background	154	(4)
Setting the Agenda	158	(2)
Framing Strategies following the First Vote	160	(5)
Competing Worldviews	165	(4)
The Role of Social and Moral Beliefs in Solving Coordination Problems	169	(2)
Morality, Trust, and Social Order	171	(2)
Political Repercussions of Cultural Diversity	173	(3)
Evaluating Information and Reasoning about Means and Ends	176	(4)
Are the Citizens of Williamson County Acting in Their Self-Interest?	180	(4)
Conclusion	184	(2)
Mass Adjustment to New Norms	186	(26)
Incentives and Dispositions (Reprised)	188	(2)
Social Adjustment to New Norms and Practices	190	(3)
A Model of Social Adjustment	193	(10)
Mechanisms of Social Change	203	(3)
How the South Was Won	206	(4)
Conclusion	210	(2)
Culture and Strategy	212	(21)
A Unifying Theory	213	(1)
Value Formation	214	(4)
Social Change	218	(3)
The Limits of Rationality	221	(1)
Expressive and Moral Action	222	(6)
A Final Word	228	(5)
Notes	233	(32)
Biblography	265	(18)
Index	283