Description: Drawing on a comparative case study of three countries--the U.S., the U.K. and the Netherlands--The Myth of Mob Rule explores when and with what consequences crime becomes a politically salient issue.
Review Quotes: "Miller does provide an engaging empirical account of violent crime trends in each country and, through an array of creative methodologies, analyzes how the public, the media, and political elites have responded to these trends. The real strength of the book is Miller's extensive examination of crime and politics in the US. Miller traces violent crime trends over the past 60 years and provides a nuanced account of how Republicans and Democrats have responded to citizen concerns about violent crime. Miller compares and contrasts the case of the US with the Netherlands and Great Britain to examine how different political systems respond to citizen concerns over violent crime." --CHOICE