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                                                  2. Cited by 954
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                                                    Crossref Citations
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                                                    This Book has been cited by the following publications. This list is generated based on data provided by Crossref.
                                                    McCain, Roger A. 1991. A linguistic conception of rationality. Social Science Information, Vol. 30, Issue. 2, p. 233.
                                                    Baert, Patrick 1991. UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: A TYPOLOGY AND EXAMPLES. International Sociology, Vol. 6, Issue. 2, p. 201.
                                                    Higgs, Robert 1991. Eighteen problematic propositions in the analysis of the growth of government. The Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 5, Issue. 1, p. 3.
                                                    Steklis, Horst D. and Walter, Alex 1991. Culture, biology, and human behavior. Human Nature, Vol. 2, Issue. 2, p. 137.
                                                    Little, Daniel 1991. Rational-Choice Models and Asian Studies. The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 50, Issue. 1, p. 35.
                                                    Kinnear, Ralph 1992. National culture, migration & xenophobia: With particular reference to migration and regional development in central Europe. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, Vol. 5, Issue. 3, p. 39.
                                                    McCain, Roger A. 1992. Heuristic coordination games: rational action equilibrium and objective social constraints in a linguistic conception of rationality. Social Science Information, Vol. 31, Issue. 4, p. 711.
                                                    Poole, Ross 1992. Living with reason. Inquiry, Vol. 35, Issue. 2, p. 199.
                                                    Suchman, Mark C. and Eyre, Dana P. 1992. Military procurement as rational myth: Notes on the social construction of weapons proliferation. Sociological Forum, Vol. 7, Issue. 1, p. 137.
                                                    Goertz, Gary and Diehl, Paul F. 1992. Toward a Theory of International Norms. Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 36, Issue. 4, p. 634.
                                                    Reszat, Beate 1992. Irrationalitäten und Anomalien als Bestimmungsfaktoren währungspolitischer Entscheidungen. Credit and Capital Markets – Kredit und Kapital, Vol. 25, Issue. 1, p. 94.
                                                    Liedekerke, Luc 1992. Ethics in Economics, Business, and Economic Policy. p. 159.
                                                    Atkinson, Michael M. and Docherty, David C. 1992. Moving Right Along: The Roots of Amateurism in the Canadian House of Commons. Canadian Journal of Political Science, Vol. 25, Issue. 2, p. 295.
                                                    Karlson, Nils 1992. Bringing Social Norms Back In. Scandinavian Political Studies, Vol. 15, Issue. 3, p. 249.
                                                    Howard, M. C. and King, J. E. 1992. A History of Marxian Economics. p. 335.
                                                    Jackson, Frank and Pettit, Philip 1992. In Defense of Explanatory Ecumenism. Economics and Philosophy, Vol. 8, Issue. 1, p. 1.
                                                    Kincaid, Harold 1993. The empirical nature of the individualism-holism dispute. Synthese, Vol. 97, Issue. 2, p. 229.
                                                    Kohler, Timothy A. 1993. News from the Northern American Southwest: Prehistory on the edge of chaos. Journal of Archaeological Research, Vol. 1, Issue. 4, p. 267.
                                                    Clark, Gordon L. 1993. Compensation for Workers Adversely Affected by Corporate Restructuring: Pension Rights, the Law and Public Policy. Regional Studies, Vol. 27, Issue. 6, p. 541.
                                                    Schwartz, Justin 1993. Functional Explanation and Metaphysical Individualism. Philosophy of Science, Vol. 60, Issue. 2, p. 278.
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                                                    This 1989 book is intended as an introductory survey of the philosophy of the social sciences. It is essentially a work of exposition which offers a toolbox of mechanisms - nuts and bolts, cogs and wheels - that can be used to explain complex social phenomena. Within a brief compass, Jon Elster covers a vast range of topics. His point of departure is the conflict we all face between our desires and our opportunities. How can rational choice theory help us understand our motivation and behaviour? More significantly, what happens when the theory breaks down but we still cleave to a belief in the power of the rational? Elster describes the fascinating range of forms of irrationality - wishful thinking, the phenomenon of sour grapes, discounting the future in noncooperative behaviour. This is a remarkably lucid and comprehensive introduction to the social sciences for students of political science, philosophy, sociology and economics.

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                                                    "Elster's book is a success. It is lively, modest, thoughtful, and laced with the sort of vivid images that effectively make abstract ideas come alive." Economics and Philosophy

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