Capitalism Democracy and Ralphs Pretty Good Grocery (Record no. 216604)

MARC details
000 -LEADER
fixed length control field 03131nam a22002297a 4500
005 - DATE AND TIME OF LATEST TRANSACTION
control field 20211013110051.0
008 - FIXED-LENGTH DATA ELEMENTS--GENERAL INFORMATION
fixed length control field 211013b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020 ## - INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER
International Standard Book Number 0691090823
040 ## - CATALOGING SOURCE
Transcribing agency AL
041 ## - LANGUAGE CODE
Language code of text/sound track or separate title eng
082 ## - DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION NUMBER
Edition number 23
Classification number 330.122
Item number MUEC
100 ## - MAIN ENTRY--PERSONAL NAME
Personal name John Mueller
9 (RLIN) 1308
245 ## - TITLE STATEMENT
Title Capitalism Democracy and Ralphs Pretty Good Grocery
260 ## - PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC.
Place of publication, distribution, etc. New Jersey
Name of publisher, distributor, etc. Princeton University Press
Date of publication, distribution, etc. 2001
300 ## - PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Extent xi,335 p.
Other physical details PB
Dimensions 23x15 cm.
520 ## - SUMMARY, ETC.
Summary, etc. Democracy is overrated. Capitalism, on the other hand, doesn't get enough credit. In this provocative and engaging book, John Mueller argues that these mismatches between image and reality create significant political and economic problems--inspiring instability, inefficiency, and widespread cynicism. We would be far better off, he writes, if we recognized that neither system is ideal or disastrous and accepted instead the humdrum truth that both are "pretty good." And, to Mueller, that means good enough. He declares that what is true of Garrison Keillor's fictional store "Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery" is also true of democracy and capitalism: if you can't get what you want there, "you can probably get along without it."<br/>Mueller begins by noting that capitalism is commonly thought to celebrate greed and to require discourtesy, deceit, and callousness. However, with examples that range from car dealerships and corporate boardrooms to the shop of an eighteenth-century silk merchant, Mueller shows that capitalism in fact tends to reward behavior that is honest, fair, civil, and compassionate. He argues that this gap between image and reality hampers economic development by encouraging people to behave dishonestly, unfairly, and discourteously to try to get ahead and to neglect the virtuous behavior that is an important source of efficiency and gain.<br/>The problem with democracy's image, by contrast, is that our expectations are too high. We are too often led by theorists, reformers, and romantics to believe that democracy should consist of egalitarianism and avid civic participation. In fact, democracy will always be chaotic, unequal, and marked by apathy. It offers reasonable freedom and security, but not political paradise. To idealize democracy, Mueller writes, is to undermine it, since the inevitable contrast with reality creates public cynicism and can hamper democracy's growth and development.<br/>Mueller presents these arguments with sophistication, wit, and erudition. He combines mastery of current political and economic literature with references to figures ranging from Plato to P. T. Barnum, from Immanuel Kant to Ronald Reagan, from Shakespeare to Frank Capra. Broad in scope and rich in detail, the book will provoke debate among economists, political scientists, and anyone interested in the problems (or non-problems) of modern democracy and capitalism.
Uniform Resource Identifier <a href="https://priscilla.work/download/4330427-capitalism-democracy-and-ralph-s-pretty-good-grocery-mueller-john">https://priscilla.work/download/4330427-capitalism-democracy-and-ralph-s-pretty-good-grocery-mueller-john</a>
650 ## - SUBJECT ADDED ENTRY--TOPICAL TERM
Topical term or geographic name entry element Economics
9 (RLIN) 1309
650 ## - SUBJECT ADDED ENTRY--TOPICAL TERM
Topical term or geographic name entry element Capitalism
9 (RLIN) 1310
650 ## - SUBJECT ADDED ENTRY--TOPICAL TERM
Topical term or geographic name entry element Entrepreneurship
9 (RLIN) 1311
700 ## - ADDED ENTRY--PERSONAL NAME
Personal name MUELLER (John)
9 (RLIN) 1312
942 ## - ADDED ENTRY ELEMENTS (KOHA)
Source of classification or shelving scheme Dewey Decimal Classification
Koha item type George Fernandes Collections
Holdings
Withdrawn status Lost status Source of classification or shelving scheme Damaged status Not for loan Collection code Home library Current library Date acquired Total Checkouts Full call number Barcode Date last seen Uniform Resource Identifier Price effective from Koha item type
    Dewey Decimal Classification     Others St Aloysius Library St Aloysius Library 03/24/2013   330.122 MUEC GF01491 10/13/2021 https://priscilla.work/download/4330427-capitalism-democracy-and-ralph-s-pretty-good-grocery-mueller-john 03/24/2013 George Fernandes Collections