Candidates, Issues and Strategies: A Computer Simulation of the 1960 Presidential Election

Ithiel de Sola Pool, Robert P. Abeslson, Samuel L. Popkin

Published by The M.I.T. Press; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA, 1964

About this Item

Condition: fine; Tiny folds and tears along top and bottom dust jacket on spine; signed by one of the authors (?) with a personal note; sticker on inside cover of owner and sticker. Synopsis: "A new social research technique, computer simulation, was put to its first political use during the Presidential campaign of 1960. The simulation, done for the Democratic Party, involved a novel technique for processing public opinion poll data. But the simulation, besides being a step forward in the automating of opinion research, was also a field test of some theories of opinion formation. Because of its novelty the Simulmatics project has been the subject of a number of sensationalized newspaper and magazine articles and even of a work of fiction. The present report endeavors to correct these lurid fantasies. There was no 'people machine'; nor were there superhuman manipulators pulling magic out of computers. Responsible people, not computers, ran the campaign. What was novel was the use of a research technique allowing more intelligent understanding of voter behavior." - from Chapter 1.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1736989876984

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Candidates, Issues and Strategies: A Computer Simulation of the 1960 Presidential Election
• Publisher: The M.I.T. Press; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA
• Publication Date: 1964
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine