Political opportunism Political opportunism Political opportunism refers to the attempt to maintain political support, or increase political influence, in a way which disregards relevant ethical or political principles. The political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli as described in "The Prince" is often regarded as a classic manual of opportunist scheming, and indeed a "Machiavellian" is nowadays defined as "a cunning, amoral, and opportunist person, especially a politician". Political opportunism is interpreted in different ways, but usually refers to one or more of the following: Typically, opportunist political behavior is criticized for being short-sighted or narrow-minded. That is, in the urge to make short-term
George W. Downs (political scientist) is also known for his work developing the theory of coordination goods. Downs died of heart failure on January 21, 2015, shortly after falling asleep after watching the State of the Union Address. George W. Downs (political scientist) George Woodrow Downs, Jr. (August 6, 1946 – January 21, 2015) was an American political scientist and pioneer of the application of noncooperative game theory to international politics. He was a professor of politics at New York University, where he served as chair of the political science department (1998–2001), Dean of Social Science (2001–2009), and later as the Bernhardt Denmark Professor of