The Logic of Political Survival [Hardcover]

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita (Author), Alastair Smith (Author), Randolph M. Siverson (Author), James D. Morrow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2003

The authors of this ambitious book address a fundamental political question: why are leaders who produce peace and prosperity turned out of office while those who preside over corruption, war, and misery endure? Considering this political puzzle, they also answer the related economic question of why some countries experience successful economic development and others do not.The authors construct a provocative theory on the selection of leaders and present specific formal models from which their central claims can be deduced. They show how political leaders allocate resources and how institutions for selecting leaders create incentives for leaders to pursue good and bad public policy. They also extend the model to explain the consequences of war on political survival. Throughout the book, they provide illustrations from history, ranging from ancient Sparta to Vichy France, and test the model against statistics gathered from cross-national data. The authors explain the political intuition underlying their theory in nontechnical language, reserving formal proofs for chapter appendixes. They conclude by presenting policy prescriptions based on what has been demonstrated theoretically and empirically.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" The Logic of Political Survival takes up the big question that has long puzzled social scientists of all stripes—why do governments that cripple or destroy their own societies survive in office for so long? The authors offer a detailed and convincing theory and subject that theory to withering examination by the data. A must-read for anyone who seeks to understand the fate of nations." William Easterly, Professor of Economics, New York University, and author of The Elusive Quest for Growth

"*The Logic of Political Survival* takes up the big question that has long puzzled social scientists of all stripes -- why do governments that cripple or destroy their own societies survive in office for so long? The authors offer a detailed and convincing theory and subject that theory to withering examination by the data. A must-read for anyone who seeks to understand the fate of nations."--William Easterly, Professor of Economics, New York University, and author of The Elusive Quest for Growth and The White Man's Burden

About the Author

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is Professor of Politics at New York University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Alastair Smith is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at New York University. Randolph M. Siverson is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis. James D. Morrow is Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 550 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (August 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262025469
• ISBN-13: 978-0262025461
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is Professor of Politics at New York University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking Work, July 14, 2010

By 

Michael S. Langston - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Logic of Political Survival (Paperback)

Using game theory this book tries to ask and answer several questions dealing with political survival. Using historical data, combined with game theory math, this book does an excellent job of laying out not only what they have found in their research, but also where additional avenues of research still exist.

I will say the book is not an easy read, though I think due to the subject matter and the complexity involved in the research, it's very well thought out and organized. Just know that the book isn't written as a quick read, but more of a text book which not only presents the theories of the authors, but attempts to prove those theories as well.

For anyone interested in political science and game theory, this book is well worth the money.