Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference FalsificationPreference falsification, according to the economist Timur Kuran, is the act of misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures. It happens frequently in everyday life, such as when we tell the host of a dinner party that we are enjoying the food when we actually find it bland. In Private Truths, Public Lies Kuran argues convincingly that the phenomenon not only is ubiquitous but has huge social and political consequences. Drawing on diverse intellectual traditions, including those rooted in economics, psychology, sociology, and political science, Kuran provides a unified theory of how preference falsification shapes collective decisions, orients structural change, sustains social stability, distorts human knowledge, and conceals political possibilities. |
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... industries . The consequent weakening of com- petitive pressures makes their industries increasingly inefficient . A re- sponds by lifting its controls , but B stays the course for a while longer . By definition , B displays rigidity ...
... industry . Afraid of losing his job , he thinks the treaty would harm the national interest . The final member of our sample is a phy- sician . Having avoided economics in college , he has no coherent view on what the treaty might bring ...
... industry . Such developments might have overwhelmed the ab- olitionist drive . 13 The Unionist leaders of the North were anything but unaware of the Confederacy's huge economic potential . For many , in fact , this potential provided ...
Contents
Collective Conservatism | 105 |
The Obstinacy of Communism | 118 |
The Ominous Perseverance of the Caste System | 128 |
Copyright | |
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