Readings in Public Choice and Constitutional Political Economy

Public choice is the study of behavior at the intersection of economics and political science. Since the pioneering work of Duncan Black in the 1940s, public choice has developed a rich literature, drawing from such related perspectives as history, philosophy, law, and sociology, to analyze political decision making (by citizen-voters, elected officials, bureaucratic administrators, lobbyists, and other "rational" actors) in social and economic context, with an emphasis on identifying differences between individual goals and collective outcomes. Constitutional political economy provides important insights into the relationship between effective constitutions and the behavior of ordinary political markets.

In Readings in Public Choice and Constitutional Political Economy, Charles Rowley and Friedrich Schneider have assembled an international array of leading authors to present a comprehensive and accessible overview of the field and its applications. Covering a wide array of topics, including regulation and antitrust, taxation, trade liberalization, political corruption, interest group behavior, dictatorship, and environmental issues, and featuring biographies of the founding fathers of the field, this volume will be essential reading for scholars and students, policymakers, economists, sociologists, and non-specialist readers interested in the dynamics of political economy.

Contenu

Introductory Overviews.- Public Choice and Constitutional Political Economy.- Public Choice: An Introduction.- Public Choice Trailblazers versus the Tyranny of the Intellectual Establishment.- Biographies of the Founding Fathers.- Duncan Black (1908-1991).- Kenneth J. Arrow (1921 - ).- Anthony Downs (1930 - ).- James M. Buchanan (1919- ).- Gordon Tullock (1922- ).- Mancur Lloyd Olson (1932-1998).- William H. Riker (1920-1993).- Milton Friedman (1912-2006).- Perspectives.- The Perspective of the History of Thought.- The Perspective of Economics.- The Perspective of Philosophy.- The Perspective of Law.- The Perspective of Sociology.- Fundamental Principles.- Constitutional Political Economy.- Spatial Theory.- Social Choice, Coase Theorem, Contracts, and Logrolling.- Interest Group Behavior and Influence.- Dictatorship.- Applications.- Public Finance.- Taxation.- The Political Economy of Monetary Policy Conduct and Central Bank Design.- Regulation And Antitrust.- International Trade Policy: Departure From Free Trade.- Trade Liberalization and Globalization.- Shadow Economy.- Vote and Popularity Functions.- Corruption.- Environmental Politics.- Experimental Public Choice.- The Political Economy of Swarming in Honeybees: Voting-with-the-Wings, Decision-Making Costs, and the Unanimity Rule.