Beyond Rationality

Reviews / Votes

'Political science is currently in the midst of a new behavioral revolution, and Mintz, Valentino and Wayne are three of its most exciting architects. Beyond Rationality: Behavioral Political Science in the 21st Century offers an innovative and accessible framework that unifies psychological approaches to the study of politics. Masterfully weaving across insights from multiple subfields, the book is a must-read for students of political behavior, and anyone who wants a preview of where the discipline is heading next.' Joshua Kertzer, Professor of Government, Harvard University 'In this rich and ambitious project, Alex Mintz, Nicholas Valentino, and Carly Wayne make a strong argument that major progress in the field of political psychology will be facilitated by the thoughtful integration of the two major theoretical paradigms which have dominated thinking within political science for more than sixty years. Here I am referring to Rational Choice theory and the general utility maximization approach, on the one hand, and a large and generative cluster of psychological approaches on the other hand. This impressive volume is one of the first to attempt such a grand synthesis and, as a result, made itself a must read for all those seriously interested in the dynamics of political behavior.' James Sidanius, John Lindsley Professor of Psychology in memory of William James and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University 'Mintz, Valentino, and Wayne masterfully explicate the frontier of the science of political behavior, demonstrating how insights from psychology, economics, communication studies, and political science weld into a formidable set of theories essential to understanding how politics works - in general, across domains, and with particular applications to a range of contemporary issues. As experts whose own work has defined this frontier, the authors provide a singularly comprehensive and coherent explanation of how factors such as limited information, cognitive biases, identity, and emotions shape the beliefs and decisions of political actors, including voters, candidates, terrorists, and foreign policy makers. Any reader seeking to make sense of our dizzying political world will be engaged and enlightened.' Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science, Vanderbilt University