Pi Gamma Mu, International Honor Society in Social Sciences

Review
Reviewed Work(s): The Logic of Political Survival by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair
Smith, Randolph M. Siverson and James D. Morrow
Review by: Samuel B. Hoff
Source: International Social Science Review, Vol. 81, No. 3/4 (2006), pp. 175-176
Published by: Pi Gamma Mu, International Honor Society in Social Sciences
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41887285
Accessed: 13-12-2018 17:26 UTC

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INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE REVIEW 1 75

Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce; Smith, Alastair

James D. The Logic of Political Survival .
pages. Paper, $25.00.

Utilizing formal logic, empirical models, an

seek to explain how factors related to the selec
tenure in office, policies pursued, leadership tu
authors are university professors who have w
have published extensively on related topics.
Part I of the text encompasses the first thre
zles with which the authors are concerned an
Chapter 2 presents the components of the "se
mathematical model of that theory. In explain
infinite variety of real-world institutional arr
ical dimensions: the selectorate and the winn
is comprised of all those citizens in a society w
leaders, the winning coalition is defined as th
who imbue leaders with power and control the
in office. The size of these groups is the facto
ability of leaders.
In Part II of the study, the authors apply th
actions of government leaders. Chapter 4 wei
taxation, economic growth, and expenditures,
wealth, or kleptocracy. Chapter 5 delineates t
affect policies dealing with civil liberties, poli
cation, health, social security, and trade. Chap
selectorate theory's utility in accounting for c
and non-democracies. Chapter 7 evaluates the
goods have on the length of tenure of govern
policy is bad politics and bad policy is good p
whereas "[g]ood policy is good politics and ba
a large-coalition government ..." (p. 325).
Part III of the book includes the final three
which varieties of selection influence political
as demonstrations, strikes, riots, migration, rev
coups - and how heads of government respon
external wars and postwar circumstances are
final chapter, the authors create an index whi
of government. They find that "[t]he quality
having a large-coalition democracy that relies
helping non-democracies with financial and o
certain conditions should be attached to such
held accountable. In addition, they recommend
open immigration policies" (p. 484) in order to
from benefiting at the expense of captive resi
Several books published since 1990 attempt t
arrangements for policies pursued. These text

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 176 VOLUME 82, NUMBERS 3 & 4

and Economic Performance by Dougl

by Carles Boix (2003), Lawlessness a
Economic Effects of Constitutions b
the last of these studies comes close t
approach. Further, The Logic of Poli
than any of these works.
This book certainly deserved the 20
Processes section of the American Political Science Association. The combination of a
well-developed theory and rigorous empirical testing of it together with case studies
drawn from ancient and medieval history has produced a study of immense value, one
which unites much current research done in the international-politics and comparative-
government fields.
The authors recognize the shortcomings of their theory due to its simplification, such
as not being able to apply it to effectively explain the atrocities committed by Germany
against Jews and other disenfranchised groups during the Second World War. Despite
some repetitiveness, the organization of the text is appropriate. The market for the book is
probably limited to graduate-level university courses, though its findings have relevance
for government policy makers and citizens alike.

Samuel B. Hoff, Ph.D.

George Washington Distinguished Professor of History and Political Science
Delaware State University
Dover, Delaware

Churchill, Ward, and Venne, Sharon H., eds. Islands in Captivity: The International
Tribunal on the Rights of Indigenous Hawaiians . Cambridge, MA: South End Press,
2004. 783 pages. Cloth, $40.00.

In 1893, a group of white business people, with the unauthorized assistance of a U.S.
Navy warship, overthrew the lawful sovereign of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and created the
Republic of Hawaii. In 1898, the Republic was annexed as a territory to the United States,
and in 1959 Hawaii became the fiftieth state. The effect of these events on the indigenous
people of the Hawaiian Islands was nothing short of disastrous; Hawaiians were evicted
from their traditional homelands and stripped of their language, religion, and culture. The
effects of these actions continue to be felt among present-day Native Hawaiians, who, like
other indigenous peoples, are now pushing for the restoration of their sovereignty, the
return of their land base, and the rebirth of their inherent dignity.
In 1993, the centennial anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, a
group of Native Hawaiian sovereignty activists gathered before an internationally recog-
nized panel of experts on indigenous rights and international law to document the history
of the Native Hawaiian people from their own perspective, to publicize the wrongs they
allege were perpetrated against them by the U.S. government, and to elucidate their needs
for redress.
Churchill and Venne, who served as judges on the people's tribunal, compiled numer-
ous background essays submitted to the tribunal, and edited hundreds of hours of testi-
mony and exhibits. The result is Islands in Captivity , a comprehensive history of Hawaii
from the perspective of its native children, which documents the almost universally nega-

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