recent research

The weekly browse through Kevin Lewis' blog:

• What we want is relative to what we have, politically speaking.
• We root for the underdog, unless he gets too violent.
• Hearing what the enemy has to say may not be a good thing.
• Political progress follows economic setbacks.
• Feeling like a global citizen makes us act more globally.
• Uncertainty and low self-esteem make us less democratically inclined.
• Is conservatism a response to our fear of death? Or will any ideology do.
• Schadenfreude: a product of envy.
• Politics is personal: men more likely to be drafted are also more anti-war.
• Contrary to stereotypes, more emotional voters are not the less sophisticate voters. (Even though emotions make us all less rational.)
• What ticks us off are not acts that hurt us, but acts that we deem immoral.
• Laws affect our attitudes - but only when we can see the effects of the laws.
• When it comes to analyzing other's "selfless" behavior, we're cynics.
• More evidence that power pays: US House members earn abnormal stock market returns.
• And that payment is power: interest groups have an effect on immigration policy.
• Which party is responsible for the economic booms and busts? Depends upon what party you belong to.
• House members on health care committees get more contributions from the health care industry, right? Not necessarily so. But maybe lobbyists make up the difference.
• Corporations that are more likely to contribute to campaigns: those privately owned or with a principal owner.