Public Choice - Econ 410
Public Choice Syllabus
Public Choice Powerpoints
Introduction to
Public Choice - an introduction to rational ignorance,
rational irrationality, political myopia and bureaucracy.
The Logic of
Collective Action - Introduction to collective goods, and
Olson's logic of collective action
The
Rise and Decline of Nations, Ch.3 - implications of the logic
of collective action for interest groups and democracy.
The
Rise and Decline of Nations, Ch. 4 - The Developed Democracies
Since World War II.
The
Economic Theory of Regulation - Peltzman, Iron triangle
The Political Business
Cycle - do politicians manipulate the economy to win
reelection?
Political War Cycles - do politicians ever start wars to win
reelection?
Famine,
Corruption,
the Media and Democracy - why is there mass starvation?
Why does mass starvation not occur in democracies? What is the
role of the media. What does the importance of the media tell
us about corruption, government control of the media and government
education?
Corruption - measuring corruption in the
United State and abroad, correlates of corruption, types of
corruption (monopoly versus competitive, parallel versus serial) and
implications of corruption for the structure of society.
The
Politics of Electoral Systems - electoral systems used as
tools to dilute minority votes.
Gerrymandering - when politicians
choose voters.
Paradoxes of Voting
Arrow's Impossibility Theorem
The Difference a Different Voting System Makes
The Median Voter Theorem
The Meltzer-Richard Model
- application of the median voter theorem to the growth of
government.
Strategic Voting
Constitutional Economics
- Hobbes, first steps to designing a constitution. What is the
role of government? Buck v. Bell and the theory of
externalities.
The Calculus of Consent ch6 -
The beginnings of constitutional economics.
Federalism - the optimum size and
shape of governments. The matching rule, Tiebout competition,
market preserving federalism, spillovers, exit and voice,
federalism and crime.
Public Finance vs. Public
Choice - a tax constituion for leviathan.
The Effect of Electoral Incentives on Tort Awards (Helland and Tabarrok, 2002)
Public Choice Perspectives on Intellectual Property (Dourado and Tabarrok, 2014)
The Big
Questions about Development - from Guns, Germs and Steel to
the role of institutions and the question of where institutions come
from.