Go to Hachette Book Group home

Search

Site Preferences

Show prices in:

Promotion

Use code BESTBOOKS24 for 25% off sitewide + free shipping over $35

By clicking “Accept,” you agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies on your device as set forth in our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy. Please note that certain cookies are essential for this website to function properly and do not require user consent to be deployed.

Why Politics Fails

Why Politics Fails Open the full-size image

Contributors

By Ben Ansell

Read by Ben Ansell

Formats and Prices

Price

$27.99

Format

Format:

  1. Audiobook Download (Unabridged) $27.99
  2. ebook $18.99 $24.99 CAD
  3. Hardcover $30.00 $38.00 CAD

This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around May 23, 2023. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Also available from:

A leading political expert explains why systems fail to deliver things we all want—democracy, equality, solidarity, security and prosperity—and what can be done to create a just, equitable, and environmentally sane society.

The dawn of the twenty-first century had the promise of a golden age. The economy was stable and growing, social peace seemed possible, and technology appeared benign.
The past years have awakened us from this complacency.
  • We have long known what needs to be done to save the world from climate disaster. Why do we continue on the path of self-destruction?
  • The immense wealth of the United States should make poverty a historical curiosity. Why is income inequality growing and the scourge of poverty increasing?
  • The vast majority of people around the world want to live in a society with democratic values. Why is democracy receding?
Why is it so hard to get – and keep – the world we want?

Ben Ansell, one of the world’s leading experts on the dilemmas facing modern democracies, vividly illustrates how our collective goals – democracy, equality, solidarity, security, and prosperity – are undermined by political traps and why today’s political landscape is so tumultuous. We want equality, but we are loathe to give away our own wealth. We want solidarity but we are much better at receiving it than offering it. We want security but not if it constrains our freedom. And we want to end the climate crisis but we also want a prosperous economy. In every case, we want a collective goal, but are undermined by our individual actions. Our aims are altruistic, our actions governed by self-interest.

Ansell then comes full circle and through brilliant storytelling and pathbreaking research vividly  illustrates how we maneuver through the traps of the messy, complicated world of politics that block common sense solutions to the just, equitable, prosperous, and environmentally sane society we all want.

Genre:

On Sale
May 23, 2023
Publisher
Hachette Audio
ISBN-13
9781668621684

You May Also Like

Power and Progress
Power and Progress $21.99 $28.99 CAD
The Tyranny of Experts
The Tyranny of Experts $18.99 $23.99 CAD
The Economists’ Hour
The Economists’ Hour $22.99 $29.99 CAD
Vanishing Frontiers
Vanishing Frontiers $28.00 $36.50 CAD
The Great Deformation
The Great Deformation $24.99 $32.49 CAD

Ben Ansell

About the Author

Ben Ansell is Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. Born in California, he grew up in the UK before returning to the US for his postgraduate studies in political science at UC Berkeley, followed by a PhD at Harvard. He taught for several years at the University of Minnesota, becoming a full Professor at Oxford in 2013 at the age of thirty-five. He was made Fellow of the British Academy in 2018. His work has been widely covered in the media, including The New York Times, The Economist, The Times,  BBC Radio, .and the World Bank’s Economic Development Report.

Learn more about this author