Publisher's Synopsis
Instead of asking the question of, "how do I want people to act", it is more important to ask the question, "how do people act given the incentives they face?" When talking about political economy, most people talk about government as if it is simply their own personal servant that will bend to the voter's will, when in reality, government is composed of fallible human beings with their own interests and motivations. Instead of discussing a utopian vision of some ideal government that is unlikely to ever exist, this book provides ample evidence of how government actually operates and the incentives that guide its actions. If you wish to understand how the government actually works, warts and all, and if you are interested in looking at the man behind the curtain, then this is the book for you.
