Do They Walk Like They Talk?
Speech and Action in Policy Processes
Editors: Imbeau, Louis M. (Ed.)
Free Preview- Addresses the timely but much neglected issue of speech in policy processes from a political-economy perspective
- Integrates work by an international panel of economists and political scientists
- Includes case studies from a variety of countries
- Employs a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques of discourse analysis
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- About this book
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George Bush’s 1988 campaign pledge, "Read my lips: no new taxes," has become a mantra for those who distrust politicians and bureaucrats. The gulf between what political leaders say and do seems to be widening, and in democratic societies around the world, contributing to an atmosphere of cynicism and apathy among the citizenry. Understanding the characteristics and functions of speech in policy processes is a requirement for trying to overcome this problem. However, there has been scant analysis of political discourse; the aim of this book is to help fill this analytical gap, by exploring political speech from a variety of perspectives, including normative, epistemological, and empirical. Incorporating insights from economics, political science, philosophy, and law, and evidence from the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Turkey, and the EU, the book addresses a wide variety of timely issues, including:
- Fiscal discipline in speeches vs budget balance Revenues forecasted in budget speeches vs realized budget outcomes Electoral pledges vs actual realizations Ideological stance in party publications vs spending and revenues of party governments The political business cycle
Other questions explored include: Should policy makers always tell the truth and all the truth? What are the benefits and the costs of transparency? How can we resolve the apparent contradiction between the democratic demand for transparency and the efficiency requirement of secrecy in many policy areas? Under which conditions is secrecy acceptable in a democratic society? To what extent may deception and lies lead to a breach of trust or to power abuse? What are the most efficient institutional mechanisms to prevent such abuse? Collectively, the authors present new insights for understanding political process and government activity, and suggest avenues for further research.
- Table of contents (16 chapters)
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Dissonance in Policy Processes: An Introduction
Pages 3-15
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The Power of Words: A Philosophical Perspective
Pages 19-29
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Information Shrouding and the Governmental Supply of Goods and Services: An Economic Perspective
Pages 31-51
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Party Rhetoric and Practice: A Normative Perspective from Political Science
Pages 53-64
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Measuring How Political Parties Keep Their Promises: A Positive Perspective from Political Science
Pages 65-80
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Table of contents (16 chapters)
- Download Sample pages 1 PDF (239.3 KB)
- Download Table of contents PDF (6.1 MB)
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Bibliographic Information
- Bibliographic Information
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- Book Title
- Do They Walk Like They Talk?
- Book Subtitle
- Speech and Action in Policy Processes
- Editors
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- Louis M. Imbeau
- Series Title
- Studies in Public Choice
- Series Volume
- 15
- Copyright
- 2009
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag New York
- Copyright Holder
- Springer-Verlag New York
- eBook ISBN
- 978-0-387-89672-4
- DOI
- 10.1007/978-0-387-89672-4
- Hardcover ISBN
- 978-0-387-89671-7
- Softcover ISBN
- 978-1-4614-1720-0
- Series ISSN
- 0924-4700
- Edition Number
- 1
- Number of Pages
- XIV, 306
- Number of Illustrations
- 65 b/w illustrations
- Topics
