Public Choice: An Introductory Survey

Abstract

Perhaps the most difficult aspect about writing a chapter on ‘Public Choice’ is that of offering a definition that conveys the full flavour of the variety of topics encompassed by the subject. One definition, which has the merit of being both succinct and reasonably accurate, is that it is ‘an invasion by economics of political science’ (Tullock, 1988, p. 1). By this is meant that Public Choice takes as its province the application of economists’ methods of a positive analysis of problems that are conventionally regarded as being those of political science, concerning events generally in the public sector.