3.2. Voting II: Ignorance & Irrationality - Readings
Monday, February 24, 2020
Required Reading:
For today, after I finish up what’s left of my lecture from last Wednesday on Voting I, we will discuss the (in)famous concept of rational ignorance, as well as rational irrationality. Your reading for today is on the latter, since it is more debatable, and since I can explain the former to you very quickly in class (and give a demonstration).
This is a good summary of the argument made by Caplan’s similarly-titled full-length book: The Myth of the Rational Voter, Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. Feel free to skim the last few sections, once you get the idea about what the biases Caplan argues are.
Recommended Reading
- Holcombe (2016), Advanced Introduction to Public Choice, Chs. 6
Your “textbook” does discuss both rational ignorance, voter turnout, and rational irrationality in this brief chapter.
Tips and Questions to Read for:
According to Caplan, what are the four systematic biases?
What is “rational ignorance”?
What is Caplan’s idea of “rational irrationality” and how is it different from “rational ignorance?”
How does the Median Voter Theorem fit into Caplan’s framework?
What is “the miracle of aggregation,” how does it work, and why does Caplan argue it is not relevant for voting?
Why do people vote or not vote? How do people that do vote choose how they vote?