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Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction

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Michael Allingham (Author)
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2.0 out of 5 stars 7 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0192803030
ISBN-10: 0192803034
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press (November 28, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0192803034
  • ISBN-13: 978-0192803030
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.5 x 4.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,713 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsAn introduction, but not for the real novice
By Frank Ashe on July 6, 2005
Format: Paperback
"Short and to the point" describes the book perfectly, but what is the point? More specifically, to whom is it introducing the subject.

I found the book a good description of the logic behind choice theory; on what are the numerous different bases on which we can build a "theory" of choice; and where this can lead. From the simplest ideas of choice we are led to Arrow's Impossibility Theorem and so can see that "rational" choices may not satisfy everyone in a democracy - a result that needs to be known at all levels of a polity.

However it's supposed to be an introduction. If you're someone not used to using logic there are too many slippery areas where you'll get lost, even though the author tries to ground the work in reality - sometimes successfully, sometimes not. And for someone who wants to see more of the practical implications it is a pity that these are not explicated more.

This book will suit some as an introduction, but not all.
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1.0 out of 5 starsPoor synopsis
By Natan Avram on May 6, 2011
Format: Kindle Edition
If this book is supposed to give us a view of what is current and important in choice theory, it fails completely. It is hard to understand why it was included in Oxford's Very Short Introduction series, which is generally very good and sometimes remarkable. Just read Tim Gowers' book on Mathematics - enthralling!

First, its tone is inappropriate, in the sense that it states controversial things (remember, this is an introductory book) in a authoritarian manner. This style may go well with undergraduates, with whom unbalanced rants backed by very flimsy evidence will go unchallenged for fear of bad grades. For the rest of the world that does not depend on Mr. Allingham's goodwill and hopefully sunny disposition, it is singularly unpersuasive. It reads like robber-baron, Wall-Street/City of London capitalist propaganda, which is neither better nor more truthful than peasants-with-pitchforks Communist propaganda.

Second, it fails to take into consideration recent and not-so-recent advances in decision theory. Humans and animals are often irrational and have a very limited computational power. Thus models which assume rationality, perfect information and unlimited computational capacity are of little or no use. While perhaps interesting as intellectual exercises, they are useless in describing the real world. If you want to smell a rat, look in the pages of books like this - if it mainly deals with a "rational agent", any such book may be safely disregarded.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsPerplexed
By Historied on August 16, 2009
Format: Paperback
I went to this book hoping to find a good overview of the current state of choice theory. And it may be in there somewhere. But having read every word I feel none the wiser. Analyze particular sentences and paragraphs, even pages and they seem quite clear. But I kept feeling: so what? I read the section on the Prisoner's Dilemma (something central to my field of conflict) and it left me with only a vague sense of what was going on.

Moreover, each time some of the theory mapped down into the real world of actually choosing, actually making a decision, or in building a political perspective about democracy or income distribution, it didn't seem to compute. Sample: 'Under democracy it will always be in the interests of the majority to oppress the minority. An example here is to be found in bans on country sports.' Apart from the fact that his example will be meaningless outside the UK, there is nothing in the previous paragraphs to justify this blunt assertion, that seems empirically extremely doubtful. I am a minority in reading lots of books, or in kayaking, or liking the novels of Anthony Powell and I feel no oppression from any majority. All of us are minorities in some perhaps the majority of respects, and I doubt that most of us in most situations feel oppressed.

I suspect that Michael Allingham (like most of us) has a definite set of political views: probably strong free market, authoritarian/libertarian (i.e. not without contradictions), and very comfortable with extreme income inequality. But I found that the step from Choice Theory to the implications he draws was just too large a leap of logic. He has simply projected his own belief systems into his real world conclusions and left me behind in the chain of logic stakes.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsA reasonable introduction
By The Emperor on April 1, 2012
Format: Paperback
I am in no way an expert about this subject and I thought that this book did an okay job as an introduction. I did find it tricky but a lot of that is the nature of the subject and my own lack of prior knowledge.

It was quite well judged in the way it built on concepts that were introduced at the start and for most of the book I did feel that I understood the subject. However once the basics were dealt with it did seem a bit rushed. It was just too short. I think that it is a subject that is just not suited that well to this format.

There were some illustrations but they were completely pointless. The author would sometimes give his own political opinions and I found this increasingly irritating. Maybe in a lecture I would have found it witty but I felt that it just got in the way.

The writing and layout was lucid and well thought out. Maybe it's just me but I thought that I still did not fully understand the subject after I had finished reading the book.
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