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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... public preferences across individuals makes up public opinion , and that of private preferences forms private opinion . The latter dis- tribution is hidden , so insofar as people's preferences determine which political programs get ...
The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification Timur Kuran. The Source of Political Power : Public Opinion Let us return to our stylized political arena . Recall that it features two pressure groups , one promoting 0 and the other ...
... evolution of private preferences . The Impact of Shifts in Private Preferences on the Evolution of Public Opinion Small events , in altering private preferences , may also affect public preferences . Moreover , the consequent shifts in ...
Contents
Collective Conservatism | 105 |
The Obstinacy of Communism | 118 |
The Ominous Perseverance of the Caste System | 128 |
Copyright | |
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