Why is nationalism so widespread today? How does the phenomenon arise? This collection of essays by leading social scientists tries to answer these questions at the forefront of contemporary political discussion. The work differs from others in that the authors' responses are not based on avowed ideological perspectives but are rather drawn from rational-choice analysis. The collection focuses on three subjects--the origins of nationalism, whether and why it promotes good or evil, and how to deal with its occasional destructive consequences.

Democracy is widely accepted today as the most suitable form of government. But does democracy always produce good government? Although often associated with the existence of competitive elections, theory and experience suggest that this insufficiently determines democracy's effectiveness. Accordingly, experts from America and Europe use the modern theory of rational choice to explore the "foundations" that make democracy successful. They consider the diverse problems of modern democratic politics such as the importance of civic virtue, negative advertising, the interaction of democracy and...