Download or read book Is rational choice the best choice for understanding the peasant A constructivist reading of the rational choice controversy written by Jochen Gottwald and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2003-11-20 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject Politics - Region: South Asia, grade: 1,0, University of Heidelberg (Südasieninstitut Abteilung Politische Wissenschaft), course: Rationalität und Politik in Südasien: Kultur, Kontext und vergleichende Politikwissenschaft, language: English, abstract: In this essay I will try on the one hand to critically examine the reservations held against rational choice by many anthropologists, by offering a constructivist analysis of the debate, on the other hand to help bridging the gap between constructivism and rational choice theory, which is, in my eyes, unnecessarily kept wide by scholars of both disciplines, what led to the emergence of flawed models of rationality like ′bounded rationality′ in the struggle of rational choice scholars to defend their assumptions. By arguing that models of rational choice are a legitimate variety in the broader context of construed attempts to explain social phenomena, I will show that it should be possible to hypothesize political action by rational choice models without curtailing the meaning of rationality. As empirical variable I chose the political behavior of the peasantry in Indian villages, as the peasant seems to be the anthropologists′ stereotype for culture′s dominance over actors′ preferences. For that reason I will mainly use Mitra′s article "Ballot-Box and Local Power: Elections in an Indian Village" (Mitra 1999, fn. 12), to highlight the possible synergies of constructivism and rational choice theory on the critical edges of their approaches. Nonetheless it will be necessary to make a quick excursion into Kant′s moral philosophy to expose the obscurity in our modern concept of rationality, which I consider responsible for the current dispute about the legitimacy of rational choice theory.
Download or read book Rational Choice written by Jon Elster and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 1986-11 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series brings together a carefully edited selection of the most influential and enduring articles on central topics in social and political theory. Each volume contains ten to twelve articles and an introductory essay by the editor.
Download or read book The Limits of Rationality written by Karen Schweers Cook and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-10-03 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prevailing economic theory presumes that agents act rationally when they make decisions, striving to maximize the efficient use of their resources. Psychology has repeatedly challenged the rational choice paradigm with persuasive evidence that people do not always make the optimal choice. Yet the paradigm has proven so successful a predictor that its use continues to flourish, fueled by debate across the social sciences over why it works so well. Intended to introduce novices to rational choice theory, this accessible, interdisciplinary book collects writings by leading researchers. The Limits of Rationality illuminates the rational choice paradigm of social and political behavior itself, identifies its limitations, clarifies the nature of current controversies, and offers suggestions for improving current models. In the first section of the book, contributors consider the theoretical foundations of rational choice. Models of rational choice play an important role in providing a standard of human action and the bases for constitutional design, but do they also succeed as explanatory models of behavior? Do empirical failures of these explanatory models constitute a telling condemnation of rational choice theory or do they open new avenues of investigation and theorizing? Emphasizing analyses of norms and institutions, the second and third sections of the book investigate areas in which rational choice theory might be extended in order to provide better models. The contributors evaluate the adequacy of analyses based on neoclassical economics, the potential contributions of game theory and cognitive science, and the consequences for the basic framework when unequal bargaining power and hierarchy are introduced.
Download or read book The Rational Choice Controversy written by Jeffrey Friedman and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1996-01-01 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory, a book written by Donald Green and Ian Shapiro and published in 1994, excited much controversy among political scientists and promoted a dialogue among them that was printed in a double issue of the journal Critical Review in 1995. This new book reproduces thirteen essays from the journal written by senior scholars in the field, along with an introduction by the editor of the journal, Jeffrey Friedman, and a rejoinder to the essays by Green and Shapiro. The scholars--who include John Ferejohn, Morris P. Fiorina, Stanley Kelley, Jr., Robert E. Lane, Peter C. Ordeshook, Norman Schofield, and Kenneth A. Shepsle--criticize, agree with, or build on the issues raised by Green and Shapiro s critique. Together the essays provide an interesting and accessible way of focusing on competing approaches to the study of politics and the social sciences.
Download or read book 2010 Whitney Biennial written by Whitney Biennial (2010 : New York) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its inauguration in 1932, the Whitney Biennial has fostered contemporary artistic innovation and diversity, becoming a highly anticipated event in the art world. The 2010 Biennial is curated by Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari and features works by approximately 55 artists working in a variety of media and practices. Uniquely, this catalogue serves as both a handsome accompaniment to the 2010 exhibition and an insightful exploration of the significance of this acclaimed and often controversial event throughout its history. In addition to presenting full-colour reproductions of the selected artists' recent work, the curators have prepared a joint essay on the 2010 exhibition, and a group of writers contributed brief entries on the represented artists' techniques, influences and recent work. Exhibition: Whitney Museum of American Art, 25 February - 30 May 2010.
Download or read book Rational Choice Theory written by Margaret S. Archer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rational Choice Theory is flourishing in sociology and is increasingly influential in other disciplines. Contributors to this volume are convinced that it provides an inadequate conceptualization of all aspects of decision making: of the individuals who make the decisions, of the process by which decisions get made and of the context within which decisions get made. The ciritique focuses on the four assumptions which are the bedrock of rational choice: rationality: the theory's definition of rationality is incomplete, and cannot satisfactorily incorporate norms and emotions individualism: rational choice is based upon atomistic, individual decision makers and cannot account for decisions made by ;couples', 'groups' or other forms of collective action process: the assumption of fixed, well-ordered preferences and 'perfect information' makes the theory inadequate for situations of change and uncertainty aggregation: as methodological individualists, rational choice theorists can only view structure and culture as aggregates and cannot incorporate structural or cultural influences as emergent properties which have an effect upon decision making. The critique is grounded in discussion of a wide range of social issues, including race, marriage, health and education.
Download or read book Rational Choice Theory written by Fouad Sabry and published by One Billion Knowledgeable. This book was released on 2024-02-12 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is Rational Choice Theory Rational choice theory refers to a set of guidelines that help understand economic and social behaviour. The theory originated in the eighteenth century and can be traced back to the political economist and philosopher Adam Smith. The theory postulates that an individual will perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether an option is right for them. It also suggests that an individual's self-driven rational actions will help better the overall economy. Rational choice theory looks at three concepts: rational actors, self interest and the invisible hand. How you will benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Rational choice theory Chapter 2: Microeconomics Chapter 3: Neoclassical economics Chapter 4: Utility Chapter 5: Public choice Chapter 6: Bounded rationality Chapter 7: Homo economicus Chapter 8: Arrow's impossibility theorem Chapter 9: Behavioral economics Chapter 10: Prospect theory Chapter 11: Consumer choice Chapter 12: Decision theory Chapter 13: Structure and agency Chapter 14: Expected utility hypothesis Chapter 15: Ellsberg paradox Chapter 16: Robert Sugden (economist) Chapter 17: Preference (economics) Chapter 18: Preference Chapter 19: Rational choice institutionalism Chapter 20: Altruism theory of voting Chapter 21: Formalist-substantivist debate (II) Answering the public top questions about rational choice theory. (III) Real world examples for the usage of rational choice theory in many fields. Who this book is for Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of Rational Choice Theory.
Download or read book Is Rational Choice Theory All of Social Science written by Mark I. Lichbach and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2009-12-11 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advocates of rational choice theory in political science have been perceived by their critics as attempting to establish an intellectual hegemony in contemporary social science, to the detriment of alternative methods of research. The debate has gained a nonacademic audience, hitting the pages of the New York Times and the New Republic. In the academy, the antagonists have expressed their views in books, journal articles, and at professional conferences. Mark I. Lichbach addresses the question of the place of rational choice theory in the social sciences in general and in political science in particular. He presents a typology of the antagonists as either rationalist, culturalist, or structuralist and offers an insightful examination of the debate. He reveals that the rationalist bid for hegemony and synthesis is rooted in the weaknesses, not the strengths, of rationalist thought. He concludes that the various theoretical camps are unlikely to accept the claimed superiority of the rationalist approach but that this opposition is of value in itself to the social sciences, which requires multiple perspectives to remain healthy. With its penetrating examination of the assumptions and basic arguments of each of the sides to this debate, this book cuts through the partisan rhetoric and provides an essential roadmap for the future of the discipline. Mark I. Lichbach is Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland.
Download or read book Rational Choice and Politics written by Stephen D. Parsons and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Rationality and Dynamic Choice written by Edward F. McClennen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1990-05-25 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this major contribution to the theory of rational choice the author sets out the foundations of rational choice, and then sketches a dynamic choice framework in which principles of ordering and independence follow from a number of apparently plausible conditions. However there is potential conflict among these conditions, and when they are weakened to avoid it, the usual foundations of rational choice no longer prevail. The thrust of the argument is to suggest that the theory of rational choice is less determinate than many suppose.
Download or read book Rationality and Commitment written by Fabienne Peter and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2007-12-13 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rational choice theory forms the core of the economic approach to human behaviour. It is also the most influential philosophical account of practical rationality. Yet there are persistent controversies about the scope of rational choice theory in philosophy and, increasingly, in economics as well. A leading critic is the philosopher and Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen, who put forward a trenchant critique of rational choice theory in his seminal paper 'Rational Fools'. Sen emphasizes the importance of commitment - those aspects of human behavior which dispose individuals to co-operate, follow norms, and identify with others. He argues that rational choice theory cannot accommodate commitment, and demands a more adequate account of rationality. The question of how to account for the rationality of commitment is very much an open issue and, if anything, even more pressing today than when Sen first raised it. In Rationality and Commitment, thirteen leading philosophers and economists discuss Sen's claims and propose their own answers to the question of how to account for the rationality of committed action. The volume concludes with a specially-written reply by Sen, in which he responds to his critics and provides a rich commentary on the preceding essays.
Download or read book Rational Choice Theory written by Lina Eriksson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-18 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few approaches in political science have generated so much controversy as rational choice theory. Some claim that the approach has made political science scientific. Its critics argue that it involves unrealistic assumptions about individual behaviour. While its tenets and benefits remain the subject of heated debate, rational choice theory is now established as a core approach in political science and one that is vital for contemporary students of the discipline to understand. With an impressive degree of clarity, the book introduces the philosophical foundations, the methodology and the key issues of rational choice theory. It shows how the approach has been constructively used to explain political phenomena and also reflects more broadly on how theories are developed and used in political science. Balanced and insightful, this important new text gives a nuanced and elegant evaluation of the potential and limits of rational choice theory.
Download or read book Rational Choice Theory and Religion written by Lawrence Alfred Young and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Download or read book The Handbook of Rational and Social Choice written by Paul Anand and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-15 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides an overview of issues arising in work on the foundations of decision theory and social choice. The collection will be of particular value to researchers in economics with interests in utility or welfare, but also to any social scientist or philosopher interested in theories of rationality or group decision-making.
Download or read book Choice Rationality and Social Theory written by Barry Hindess and published by Routledge. This book was released on 1988 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Foundations of Rational Choice Under Risk written by Paul Anand and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1993 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes and evaluates a number of existing criticisms of the formal theory of rationality and subjective expected utility theory. The author argues that rationality is not a behavioural entity, but rather has to do with the relation between an agent's preferences and his or her behaviour.
Download or read book Rational Choice Theory written by James S. Coleman and published by SAGE Publications, Incorporated. This book was released on 1992-08-11 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rational Choice Theory is one of the few general theories of how individuals, groups, organizations and social structures behave - its impact on sociological theorizing has been enormous. In this volume, advocates and critics present their views of the values and limitations of rational choice theory. Whether supporter or sceptic, sociologists and other social scientists will find themselves immersed in a creative discussion of the merits and difficulties of the model and its applicability to both macro and micro level social issues.
