Open Versus Closed: Personality, Identity and the Politics of Redistribution
Debates over redistribution, social insurance, and market regulation are central to American politics. Why do some citizens prefer a large role for government in the economic life of the nation while others wish to limit its reach? In Open versus Closed, my co-authors and I argue that these preferences are not always what they seem. We show how deep-seated personality traits underpinning the culture wars over race, immigration, law and order, sexuality, gender roles, and religion shape how citizens think about economics, binding cultural and economic inclinations together in unexpected ways. Integrating insights from both psychology and political science – and twenty years of observational and experimental data – our work reveals the deeper motivations driving attitudes toward government. We find that for politically active citizens these attitudes are not driven by self-interest, but by a desire to express the traits and cultural commitments that define their identities.
Date:
24 April 2018, 12:30 (Tuesday, 1st week, Trinity 2018)
Venue:
Nuffield College, New Road OX1 1NF
Venue Details:
Clay Room
Speaker:
Howard Lavine (University of Mimmesota)
Organising department:
Nuffield College
Organisers:
Professor Desmond King (University of Oxford),
Ben Ansell (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address:
maxine.collett@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Part of:
Nuffield College Political Science Seminars
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Maxine Collett
