tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1331441403058020963.post4773135005540418535..comments2024-03-28T06:49:24.930-04:00Comments on International Political Economy at the University of North Carolina: Politics isn't the Dispassionate Quest for TruthThomas Oatleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14092437150746625670noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1331441403058020963.post-89678276081126436682010-02-27T14:32:30.549-05:002010-02-27T14:32:30.549-05:00"The real puzzle of modern democracy, I would..."The real puzzle of modern democracy, I would suggest, isn't that it produces bad policy; it is the extent to which massive redistribution of wealth hasn't happened."<br /><br />I don't think so. I think "embedded liberalism" combined with a belief that the dynamics of capitalism are on net good for society over the long run presents the political equilibrium that we see. We see greater support for redistributive populist movements in places where institutional quality is low, and less where it is high.<br /><br />To me what's interesting about White's proposal is that it is closer to the original electoral college system than the one we have now, although the electors obviously weren't selected at random.<br /><br />And I wouldn't discount the premise so quickly. "Rational ignorance" certainly makes a lot of rent-seeking behavior possible. I don't think it's a stretch to say that a more-informed selectorate would alter the distribution in important ways, and maybe even towards more public and fewer private goods.Kindred Winecoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14330671232391851377noreply@blogger.com