The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explains the Growth of Government

Anthony Downs called this phenomenon "rational ignorance," and it is especially significant with government-related decision-making, or "Public Choice." Economic analysis shows us that the value of the time individuals spend informing themselves must exceed its opportunity cost. When acquiring a car through the market process, that could mean thousands of dollars. Now contemplate the ludicrous probability of a single participant swaying an entire election. There is very little individual upside to justify any significant effort to inform oneself.