A book written by Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels was named one of Bloomberg's Best Books of 2016.

Published by Princeton University Press, “Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government,” reveals how voters typically choose parties and candidates based on social and partisan ideals — not political issues. The authors argue that democratic theory should be rooted in identity groups and political parties instead of being based on individual voter preferences.

Christopher H. Achen is the Roger Williams Straus Professor of Social Sciences and professor of politics at Princeton University, and a faculty associate at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics (CSDP), which is based at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Larry M. Bartels holds the May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science at Vanderbilt University, and was the founding director of CSDP.