The Limits of Public Choice

This book addresses a wide range of approaches that come under the heading of Public Choice, paying particular attention to the work of Buchanan, Tullock and Olson. Public Choice or 'the economic theory of politics' is one of the most important developments in the social sciences of the last twenty years.The Limits of Public Choiceargues that the claims made by many economists and their followers about the scope and richness of this approach are greatly exaggerated. Yet despite some of the problems with Public Choice, Lars Udehn claims that the recent popularity of economic thinking in the other social sciences, refered to as 'economic imperialism', has had a revitalizing effect on economics. He argues for the richness of the sociological approach to politics, as a complement to the economic one.

1. Two Approaches to Politics — Public choice — Political Sociology — 2. Self-Interest in Politics — Politicians — Bureaucrats — Voters — Political man — Sociological man — 3. Politics as Exchange — Exchange — Persuasion — Power — 4. Individualism — Methodological individualism — Normative public choice — Public choice as ideology — 5. Economics of Collective Action — problem of collective action — Group size — Time and interaction — Social structure — Selective incentives — Mixed motivations — evidence — 6. Sociology of Collective Action — Group theory — Collective behaviour — Collective action — Resource mobilization — Social movements — New social movements — 7. Cooperation and Social Order — Reciprocity — Community — Social order.