Series:

American Politics and Political Economy

4 total works

Cover of The Foreign Policy Disconnect

With world affairs so troubled, what kind of foreign policy should the United States pursue? Benjamin Page and Marshall Bouton look for answers in a surprising place: among the American people. Drawing on a series of national surveys conducted between 1974 and 2004, Page and Bouton reveal that--contrary to conventional wisdom--Americans generally hold durable, coherent, and sensible opinions about foreign policy. Nonetheless, their opinions often stand in opposition to those of policymakers, usually because of different interests and values, rather than superior wisdom among the elite. The Foreign Policy Disconnect argues that these gaps between leaders and the public are harmful, and that by using public opinion as a guideline policymakers could craft a more effective, sustainable, and democratic foreign policy.

Page and Bouton support this argument by painting a uniquely comprehensive portrait of the military, diplomatic, and economic foreign policies Americans favor. They show, for example, that protecting American jobs is just as important to the public as security from attack, a goal the current administration seems to pursue single-mindedly. And contrary to some officials' unilateral tendencies, the public consistently and overwhelmingly favors cooperative multilateral policy and participation in international treaties. Moreover, Americans' foreign policy opinions are seldom divided along the usual lines: majorities of virtually all social, ideological, and partisan groups seek a policy that pursues the goals of security and justice through cooperative means. Written in a clear and engaging style, The Foreign Policy Disconnect calls, in an original voice, for a more democratic approach to creating such a policy.

Cover of Who Deliberates?

Who Deliberates?

by Benjamin I Page

Published 15 June 1996
This work argues that although public deliberation is essential to democracy, the public can be fooled as well as enlightened. In three case studies of media coverage in the 1990s, Benjamin Page explores the role of the press in structuring political discussion. Page shows how the New York Times presented a restricted set of opinions on whether to go to war with Iraq, shutting out discussion of compromises favoured by many Americans. He then examines the media's negative reaction to the Bush administration's claim that riots in Los Angeles were caused by welfare programmes. Finally, he shows how talk shows overcame the elite media's indifference to widespread concern about Zoe Baird's hiring of illegal aliens. Page's conclusion identifies the conditions under which media outlets become political actors and actively shape and limit the ideas and information available to the public. His argument is that a diversity of viewpoints is essential to true public deliberation. This book is intended for students of American politics, communications and media studies. Benjamin I. Page is the author, with Robert Y.
Shapiro, of "The Rational Public: 50 Years of Trends in Americans' Policy Preferences", published by the University of Chicago Press.

Cover of What Government Can Do
It is often said that the federal government cannot or should not attempt to address America's problems of poverty and inequality—because its bureaucracy is wasteful or its programs ineffective. But is this true? In this book, Benjamin I. Page and James R. Simmons examine a number of federal and local programs, detailing what government action already does for its citizens and assessing how efficient it is at solving the problems it seeks to address. Their conclusion, surprisingly, is the polar opposite of the prevailing rhetoric—What Government Can Do is an insightful and compelling argument that it both can and should do more.

Cover of The Rational Public
This monumental study is a comprehensive critical survey ofthe policy preferences of the American public, and will bethe definitive work on American public opinion for some timeto come. Drawing on an enormous body of public opinion data, Benjamin I. Page and Robert Y. Shapiro provide the richestavailable portrait of the political views of Americans, fromthe 1930's to 1990. They not only cover all types ofdomestic and foreign policy issues, but also consider howopinions vary by age, gender, race, region, and the like. The authors unequivocally demonstrate that, notwithstanding fluctuations in the opinions of individuals, "collective" public opinion is remarkably coherent: itreflects a stable system of values shared by the majority ofAmericans and it responds sensitively to new events, arguments, and information reported in the mass media. Whiledocumenting some alarming case of manipulation, Page andShapiro solidly establish the soundness and value ofcollective political opinion. "The Rational Public"provides a wealth of information about what we as a nationhave wanted from government, how we have changed our mindsover the years, and why. For anyone interested in the short- and long-term trendsin Americans' policy preferences, or eager to learn whatAmericans have thought about issues ranging from racialequality to the MX missile, welfare to abortion, this bookoffers by far the most sophisticated and detailed treatmentavailable.