Politics: The Theater of the Absurd
5th November 2014
Don Boudreaux, a Real Economist, explains it all to you.
The typical voter devotes more time to learning how to program his TV’s remote control than how to assess how each candidate’s likely actions while in office will affect society. Voters’ inattentiveness to the substance of public-policy questions is rational: If public policies will be whatever they will be regardless of how, or even if, you vote, why spend your valuable time learning the details of public-policy issues? Better that you spend that time learning about matters that you can individually control.
Most voters are therefore rationally uninterested in the substantive details of public policies. So, voters instead pay attention only to the most superficial aspects of political questions. And politicians — whose expertise is in campaigning and winning elections — cater to this disinterest by serving up only brainless campaign ads.
Can’t say he’s wrong.
November 6th, 2014 at 04:40
Was there another paragraph, not quoted, where voter’s inattentiveness to substance is explained because there is no substance? Politicians substance on policy is no more real than phlogiston.
November 6th, 2014 at 04:49
Unfortunately not.