The Myth of Mob Rule Violent Crime and Democratic Politics

In The Myth of Mob Rule, Lisa Miller compares three countries--the US, the UK, and the Netherlands--and explores when and with what consequences crime becomes a politically salient issue. Drawing from extensive original research, her findings reverse many of the accepted causal claims in the literature, finding that countries with multi-party parliamentary systems are more responsive to mass publics than the U.S. on crime and that such responsiveness promotes protection from a range of social risks, including from excessive violence and state repression. In other words, democratic publics in such countries support measures against violent crime, but also support policies that alleviate and improve social conditions in high-crime areas. The Myth of Mob Rule is essential reading for anyone concerned with the ways that political institutions affect crime and social welfare.

Lisa L. Miller is Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University, and author of The Perils of Federalism (OUP).