Um artigo no NYT sobre o mais recente livro de Bryan Caplan: The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies
Now Bryan Caplan, an economist at George Mason University, has attracted notice for raising a pointed question: Do voters have any idea what they are doing? In his provocative new book, “The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies,” Caplan argues that “voters are worse than ignorant; they are, in a word, irrational — and vote accordingly.” Caplan’s complaint is not that special-interest groups might subvert the will of the people, or that government might ignore the will of the people. He objects to the will of the people itself.
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If the public doesn’t know how to think, is there a solution? Caplan has some radical medicine in mind. To encourage greater economic literacy, he suggests tests of voter competence, or “giving extra votes to individuals or groups with greater economic literacy.” Until 1949, he points out, Britain gave extra votes to some business owners and graduates of elite universities. (Since worse-educated citizens are less likely to vote, Caplan dislikes efforts to increase voter turnout.)
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Caplan’s view of democracy is all about efficiency, not legitimacy. But some time ago, the political scientist Samuel P. Huntington pointed out the weakness of dictatorships that justify their rule by only the quality of their job performance: as soon as something goes wrong — a war is lost or inflation skyrockets — the public has no further reason to put up with a despot. If the public asked Caplan’s Council of Economic Advisers by what authority it struck down a law, the council members could point only to their diplomas and peer-reviewed articles. A democratic public may not always like — or understand — the government’s policy, but the consent of the governed gives the citizens a reason not to reject the whole system.
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To encourage greater economic literacy, [Bryan Clapan] suggests tests of voter competence, or “giving extra votes to individuals or groups with greater economic literacy.”
O problema está, claro, em avaliar quem avalia.
Pelo contrário, o consumidor não necessita de ser literado em Economia quando é ele a decidir como gastar o SEU dinheiro. Caplan não necessitava de ser “radical”. Bastava-lhe defender um menor papel para o Estado…
Comentário por BZ — Junho 21, 2007 @ 11:39 pm
Concordo contigo Bz.
Comentário por André Azevedo Alves — Junho 22, 2007 @ 12:03 am
“giving extra votes to individuals or groups with greater economic literacy.”
Que decidam os eleitores a querem delegar o seu direito de voto…
Comentário por AA — Junho 22, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
Como é? Como consumidor sabe gastar o seu dinheiro, mas como votante não sabe gastar o seu voto?
Comentário por Arnaldo Madureira — Junho 22, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
[...] continuação de “The Myth of the Rational Voter, In The Myth of the Rational Voter, Bryan Caplan tries to answer the question: Why do public [...]
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