The Consequences Of Deborah Stone's Polis Model Of Political Decision-Making

How would one go about making a decision such as whether to vote for or against a referendum raising the minimum wage in their state? Who and what influence this decision? Do individuals always consider the consequences of their actions on not only themselves, but also their community? The Rational Choice Theory, otherwise known as the Market Model suggests that humans act as self-interested individuals, who also make calculations to determine possible outcomes when making these decisions. However, Deborah Stone, the author of Policy Paradox, states that the Market Model is not an accurate representation of how individuals make political choices. She believes in her self-created Polis Model, which places the community and influences such as loyalty and public interest in the center of political decision-making. Although Deborah Stone’s Polis Model of political decision-making lays out
Rational Choice Theory can be ultimately described as a theory in which political decisions are connected to the economy and future economic decisions (Boscarino). In this model, risks and consequences are deeply researched and calculated based on one’s own self-interest and the Laws of Matter. Conversely, in Stone’s Polis model, the influence for decision-making comes from others and society through values like loyalty, in order to promote the public interest. Although the Rational Choice Theory’s primary influence for decision making is “selfish”, that does not mean that these individual decisions cannot together result in a decision that ultimately benefits both the individual and the society as a whole. In fact, it has been reported that by maximizing one’s own self-interest, it coerces individuals to become productive and resourceful, which in turn, places the community at a better economic standpoint (Stone 2012,