INFORMATION AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES

The golden democratic tradition

  of an informed and involved electorate freely and rationally choosing its public

  officials seems to be at odds with American political reality. Thus the questions:

  On what basis do people vote and form opinions? How does the lack of information

  at the individual level affect system performance? In this collection twenty-six

  distinguished political scientists discuss, debate, and define the relationship

  between information and the democracy it supposedly serves. The contributors

  address both the empirical and normative aspects of governing in the United

  States, employing psychological, sociological, and economic perspectives.