Skip to main content

Public Choice and Constitutional Political Economy

  • Chapter
The Encyclopedia of Public Choice
  • 175 Accesses

Abstract

Public choice — or the economics of politics — is a relatively new science located at the interface between economics and politics (Rowley 1993, Mueller 1997, and Shughart and Razzolini 2001). It was founded in 1948 by Duncan Black, who died in 1991 without ever achieving full recognition as the Founding Father of the discipline (Tullock 1991). Its practitioners seek to understand and to predict the behavior of political markets by utilizing the analytical techniques of economics, most notably the rational choice postulate, in the modeling of non-market decision-making behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 429.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 549.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aldrich, J.H. (1997). ‘When is it rational to vote?’ in D.C. Mueller (ed.) Perpectives on Public Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, G. (2001). ‘The judiciary.’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 293–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, G.A., Shughart, W.F. and Tollison, R.D. (1988). ‘On the Incentive of Judges to enforce Legislative Wealth Transfers’. Journal of Law and Economics, 31, 215–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrow, K.J. (1950). ‘A Difficulty in the Concept of Social Welfare’, Journal of Political Economy 58, 328–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arrow, K.J. (1951). Social Choice and Individual Values. New York: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G.S. (1976). ‘Comment of Peltzman’ Journal of Law and Economics XIX(2), 245–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G.S. (1983). ‘A theory of competition among pressure groups for political influence’. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 63, 371–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benson, B. (2001). ‘Law and economics’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 547–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, D. (1948). ‘On the rationale of group decision-making’. Journal of Political Economy, 56, 23–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, H.G. and Buchanan, J.M. (1980). The Power to Tax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, H.G. and Buchanan, J.M. (1985). The Reason of Rules. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, H.G. and Hamlin, A. (2001). ‘Constitutional choice’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Raxxolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 117–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M. (1975). The Limits of Liberty: Between Anarchy and Leviathan. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M. (1987). ‘The constitution of economic policy’. American Economic Review, 77(3), 243–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M. (1990). ‘The domain of constitutional economics’. Constitutional Political Economy, 1(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M., Rowley, C.K. and Tollison, R.D. (1987). Deficits. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M. and Tullock, G. (1962). The Calculus of Consent. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, J.M. and Wagner, R.E. (1977). Democracy in Deficit: The Political Legacy of Lord Keynes. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, J.R. and Schap, D. (1987). ‘Executive veto, legislative override and structure-induced equilibrium’. Public Choice, 52, 227–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coase, R.H. (1960). ‘The Problem of Social Cost’. Journal of Law and Economics, 3, 1–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crain, W.M. (2001). ‘Institutions, durability, and the value of political transactions’. In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 183–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crain, W.M. and Tollison, R.D. (1979a). ‘Constitutional Change in an Interest Group Perspective’. Journal of Legal Studies, 8, 156–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crain, W.M. and Tollison, R.D. (1979b). ‘The Executive Branch in the Interest-Group Theory of Government’. Journal of Legal Studies, 8, 555–567.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crew, M.A. and Rowley, C.K. (1988). ‘Toward a Public Choice Theory of Regulation’. Public Choice, 57, 49–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downs, A. (1957). An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downs, A. (1967). Inside Bureaucracy. Boston: Little Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekelund, R.B. and Tollison, R.D. (2001). In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 357–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enelow, J.M. and Hinich, M.J. (1984). The Spatial Theory of Voting. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiorina, M. (1983). ‘Flagellating the Federal Bureaucracy’. Society, 66–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (1953). ‘The Methodology of Positive Economics’ In M. Friedman, Essays in Positive Economics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 3–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (1962). Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goetz, C.J. (1991). Uncommon Common-Sense vs. Conventional wisdom: The Virginia School of Economics. Fairfax: Center for Study of Public Choice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grier, K. (1991). ‘Congressional Influence on US Monetary Policy: An Empirical Test’. Journal of Monetary Economics, 28, 202–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gwartney, J. and Wagner, R.E. (1988). Public Choice and Constitutional Economics. Greenwich: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harberger, A.C. (1954). ‘Monopoly and Resource Allocation’, American Economics Review 44, 77–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hotelling, H. (1929). ‘Stability in Competition’, American Economic Review 39, 41–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lakatos, I. (1978). The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laband, D.N. and McClintock, G.C. (2001). The Transfer Society. Washington, DC: The Cato Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laband, D.N. and Sophocleus, J.P. (1988). ‘The social cost of rent seeking: first estimates’. Public Choice, 58, 269–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landa, J. (1986). ‘The political economy of swarming in honeybees: voting-with-wings, decision-making costs, and the unanimity rule’. Public Choice, 51, 25–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landa, J. (1998). ‘Bioeconomics of schooling fishes: selfish fish, quasi-free riders, and other fishy tales’. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 53, 353–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landes, W.E. and Posner, R.A. (1975). ‘The Independent Judiciary in an Interest Group Perspective’. Journal of Law and Economics, 18, 875–902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landes, W.E. and Posner, R.A. (1987). The Economic Structure of Tort Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison, J. (1788). The Federalist 51, Publius, February 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madison, J. (1788). The Federalist 53, Publius, February 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • McChesney, F.S. (1987). ‘Rent extraction and rent creation in the economic theory of regulation’. Journal of Legal Studies, 16, 101–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McChesney, F.S. (1997). Money for Nothing: Politicians, Rent Extraction, and Political Extortion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McChesney, F.S. (2001). ‘Rent seeking and rent extraction’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 379–395.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, R.E. and Tollison, R.D. (1981). Polticians, Legislation and the Economy: An Inquiry into the Interest-Group Theory of Goverment. Boston: Martinus Nijhoff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, W.C. (1988). ‘Virginia, Rochester and Bloomington: Twenty-five Years of Public Choice and Political Science’. Public Choice, 56, 101–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, W.C. (1989). ‘Chicago Political Economy: A Public Choice Perspective’. Public Choice, 63, 282–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, W.C. (2001). ‘The old and the new public choice: Chicago versus Virginia’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Rozzalini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 3–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moe, T.N. (1987). ‘An Assessment of the Positive Theory of Congressional Dominance’ Legislative Studies Quarterly, 12, 475–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moe, T.N. (1990). ‘Political Institutions: The Neglected Side of the Story’. Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, 6, 213–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moe, T.N. (1997). ‘The positive theory of public bureaucracy’ In D.C. Mueller (ed.) Perspectives on Public Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 455–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D.C. (1989). Public Choice II. Cambridge: Cambridge Unviersity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D.C. (1996). Constitutional Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, D.C. (ed.) (1997). Perspectives on Public Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niskanen, W.A. (1971). Bureaucracy and Representative Government. New York: Aldine-Atherton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niskanen, W.A. (1975). ‘Bureaucrats and Politicians’. Journal of Law and Economics, 18, 617–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niskanen, W.A. (2001). ‘Bureaucracy’, in W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 258–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, M. (1965). The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, M. (1982). The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation and Social Rigidities. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ordeshook, P.C. (1997). ‘The spatial analysis of elections and committees: Four decades of research’ in D.C. Mueller (ed.) Perspective on Public Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 247–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltzman, S. (1976). ‘Toward a More General Theory of Regulation’. Journal of Law and Economics, 19(2), 211–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peltzman, S. (1984). ‘Constituent Interest and Congressional Voting’. Journal of Law and Economics, 27, 181–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peltzman, S. (1990). ‘How Efficient is the Voting Market?’. Journal of Law and Economics, 33, 27–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1971). A Theory of Justice. Cambridge: Belknap Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reder, M.W. (1982). ‘Chicago Economics: Permanence and Change’. Journal of Economics Literature, 20, 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riker, M.W. (1962). The Theory of Political Coalitions. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riker M.W. (1964). Federalism: Origins, Operation Significance. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riker, W.H. and Ordeshook, P.C. (1973). An Introduction to Positive Political Theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romer, T. and Rosenthal, H. (1978). ‘Political Resource Allocation: Controlled Agendas and the Status Quo’, Public Choice, 33, 27–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Romer, T. and Rosenthal, H. (1979). ‘The Elusive Median Voter’, Journal of Public Economics, 12, 143–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (1984). ‘The relevance of the median voter theorem’, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, 140, 104–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (1991). ‘The Reason of Rules: Constitutional Contract versus Political Market Conflict’, Annual Review of Conflict Knowledge and Conflict Resolution, 2, 195–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (1992). The Right to Justice. Aldershot UK and Brookfield, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (1993). ‘Introduction’ In C.K. Rowley (ed.) Public Choice Theory, Volume 1, Aldershot, UK and Brookfield, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, ix–xxix.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (1997). ‘Donald Wittman’s The Myth of Democratic Failure’, Public Choice, 92, 15–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (2001). ‘The international economy in public choice perspective’ In W.F. Shughart and L. Razzolini (eds.) The Elgar Companion to Public Choice. Cheltenham UK and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 645–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. (2003). ‘Public Choice from the Perspective of the History of Thought’, in this volume, 199–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K., Shughart, W.F. and Tollison, R.D. (1987). ‘Interest Groups and Deficits’ In J.M. Buchanan, C.K. Rowley and R.D. Tollison (eds.) Deficits. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 263–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K., Tollison, R.D. and Tullock, G. (eds.) (1988). The Political Economy of Rent Seeking. Boston and Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. and Vachris, M.A. (1993). ‘Snake Oil Economics versus Public Choice’ in C.K. Rowley (ed.) Publich Choice Theory, Volume III, Aldershot, U.K. and Brookfield, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 573–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowley, C.K. and Vachris, M.A. (1994). ‘Why democracy does not necessarily produce efficient results’, Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice, 12, 95–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepsle, K.A. (1978). The Giant Jigsaw Puzzle. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepsle, K.A. and Weingast, B.R. (1981). ‘Structure-Induced Equilibrium and Legislative Choice’. Public Choice, 37, 503–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepsle, K.A. (1982). ‘The Budget: Will a Constitutional Amendment Help?’ Challenge, 53–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shughart, W.F. and Razzolini, L. (eds.) (2001). The Elgar Companion to Public Choice, Cheltenham, U.K. and Northampton, USA: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, G.J. (1971). ‘The Theory of Economic Regulation’. Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science, 2, 137–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, G.J. (1974). ‘Free riders and collective action: an appendix to theories of regulation’. Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science, 5, 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, G.J. (1988). Chicago Studies in Political Economy. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, G.J. (1992). ‘Law or economics’, Journal of Law and Economics, 35, 455–468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollison, R.D. (1982). ‘Rent seeking: A survey’. Kyklos, 35, 575–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollison, R.D. (1988). ‘Public Choice and Legislation’. Virginia Law Review, 74, 339–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollison, R.D. (1989). ‘Chicago Political Economy’. Public Choice, 63(3), 293–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollison, R.D. (1997). ‘Rent seeking’ In D.C. Muller (ed.) Perspectives on Public Choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 506–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1959). ‘Problems in majority Voting’. Journal of Political Economy, 67, 571–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1965). The Politics of Bureaucracy. Washington, DC: Public Affairs Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1967). ‘The Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopolies and Theft’. Western Economic Journal, 5, 224–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1971). ‘The cost of transfers’. Kyklos, 4, 629–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1975). ‘The Transitional Gains Trap’. The Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science, 6, 671–678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1976). The Vote Motive, London: Institute of Economic Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1980). ‘Efficient Rent-Seeking’ In J.M. Buchanan, R.D. Tollison and G. Tullock (eds.) Toward the Theory of the Rent-Seeking Society. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 97–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1981). ‘Why So Much Stability?’. Public Choice, 37, 189–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1989). The Economics of Special Privilege and Rent-Seeking. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tullock, G. (1991). ‘Duncan Black: The Founding Father’, Public Choice 71, 125–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingast, B.R. (1981). ‘Republican Reregulation and Deregulation: The Political Foundations of Agency-Clientele Relationships’. Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, 44, 147–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingast, B.R. (1984). ‘The Congressional Bureaucratic System: A Principal-Agent Perspective’. Public Choice, 44, 147–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingast, B.R. and Marshall, W.J. (1988). ‘The Industrial Organization of Congress’. Journal of Political Economy, 96, 132–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weingast, B.R. and Moran, N.J. (1983). ‘Bureaucratic Discretion or Congressional Control?’. Journal of Political Economy, 91, 765–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wicksell, K. (1896). Finanztheoretische Untersuchungen. Jena: Gustav Fisher.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittman, D. (1989). ‘Why Democracies Produce Efficient Results’. Journal of Political Economy, 97, 1395–1424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wittman, D. (1995). The Myth of Democratic Failure: Why Political Institutions are Efficient. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rowley, C.K. (2004). Public Choice and Constitutional Political Economy. In: Rowley, C.K., Schneider, F. (eds) The Encyclopedia of Public Choice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-47828-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-47828-4_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-8607-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-306-47828-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics