The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning CampaignsThe book Politico calls “Moneyball for politics” shows how cutting-edge social science and analytics are reshaping the modern political campaign. Renegade thinkers are crashing the gates of a venerable American institution, shoving aside its so-called wise men and replacing them with a radical new data-driven order. We've seen it in sports, and now in The Victory Lab, journalist Sasha Issenberg tells the hidden story of the analytical revolution upending the way political campaigns are run in the 21st century. The Victory Lab follows the academics and maverick operatives rocking the war room and re-engineering a high-stakes industry previously run on little more than gut instinct and outdated assumptions. Armed with research from behavioural psychology and randomized experiments that treat voters as unwitting guinea pigs, the smartest campaigns now believe they know who you will vote for even before you do. Issenberg tracks these fascinating techniques—which include cutting edge persuasion experiments, innovative ways to mobilize voters, heavily researched electioneering methods—and shows how our most important figures, such as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, are putting them to use with surprising skill and alacrity. Provocative, clear-eyed and energetically reported, The Victory Lab offers iconoclastic insights into political marketing, human decision-making, and the increasing power of analytics. |
Contents
PROLOGUE How to win an election without anyone knowing | 1 |
BLINDED BY POLITICAL SCIENCE | 15 |
A GAME OF MARGINS | 36 |
THE NEW HAVEN EXPERIMENTS | 70 |
THE TWO PERCENT SOLUTION | 87 |
YOU MEAN YOU DONT DO THIS IN POLITICS? | 107 |
GEEKS VERSUS THE GURUS | 143 |
WHEN SHAME PAYS A HOUSE CALL | 181 |
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academics Acxiom Alan Gerber algorithms American Analyst Institute asked ballot Barabba Barack Obama Baselice behavior Bush Bush's campaign manager candidate canvassing Carney caucus CHAID Chicago Clinton coalition consultants Democratic Democratic National Committee demographic Dowd effect election day electorate field experiments fund-raising Gage Gerber and Green Gosnell GOTV Grebner Hazelwood headquarters Hillary Clinton Iowa issues Karl Rove Kerry knew looked Malchow Mark Mellman Merriam messages Michigan microtargeting million numbers Obama campaign operatives organizers paign party party's percent Perry Perry's phone banks phone calls Podhorzer political science political scientists polls pollster Popkin precincts predict presidential campaign primary Quinn race registered Republican Rick Perry Rogers Rove says scores Senate social staffers statewide statistical Strasma strategists strategy survey tactics targeting thought tion Todd Rogers turnout vendors volunteers vote voter contact voter file wanted Washington