{"product_id":"ambitious-politicians-patrik-ohberg-9780700624232","title":"Ambitious Politicians: The Implications of Career Ambition in Representative Democracy","description":"\"[T]hose people who must \u003ci\u003ewant\u003c\/i\u003e to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it.\" This is how writer Douglas Adams neatly expressed the common view of political ambition. And yet, it's hard to imagine any politician getting far without it. \u003ci\u003eAmbitious Politicians\u003c\/i\u003e brings a welcome study and insight to this conundrum. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFocusing first on the party-centered politics of European democracies, where career ambitions are necessarily different than those in the United States, Patrik ﾖhberg looks closely at what motivates those aiming at the highest level of the political hierarchy, how these motivators differ between more and less equalitarian societies, and how such ambitions play out. His book, which draws upon a uniquely extensive survey conducted by the Swedish National Election Study Program, is the first thorough study of elite politicians who aspire to the top echelons of the parliamentary system. Politicians with career ambitions have a distinct idea of representation, ﾖhberg finds; they display a higher degree of political self-regard and are more responsive to the wishes of the party elite in developing strategies. These findings vary among European democracies, and they differ from the traits and trajectories of political ambition in the United States. By identifying the subtleties and charting the differences, ﾖhberg offers a valuable lesson on whether and how representative democracies are served by politicians driven by personal ambition, or by those subverting such ambitions to the needs of party or state. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmbition, this timely book reminds us, has been crucial for political thinkers from Aristotle through the Founding Fathers to the latest candidate for higher office. Informed by history and social science theory, and grounded in a wealth of data, \u003ci\u003eAmbitious Politicians\u003c\/i\u003e expands our understanding of the important and changing role of such ambition in collective decision-making in our day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrik ﾖhberg\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0700624236\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780700624232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Kansas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/12\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 176\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.62lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2017","brand":"Patrik ﾖhberg","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44149188952319,"sku":"9780700624232","price":32.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_37430abe-a125-44c8-bf4a-742450f4ac6f.jpg?v=1688455313","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ambitious-politicians-patrik-ohberg-9780700624232","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}