Public Choice Theory

This page offers supplementary links to in-class lectures.

Introduction to Public Choice

Elections

Median voter theorem

Democrats gamble with ads that highlight far-right candidates | The New York Times

Republicans fight abortion backlash with ads - and stealth website edits | The Week

2020 Democratic Primary Results | Wikipedia



Election strategy

A history of voting rights | The New York Times

We took a Louisiana literacy test and failed spectacularly | Business Insider

Felony disenfranchisement laws | ACLU

Voting age

After Bush v. Gore: 2000 election documentary | The New York Times Retro Report

Chart of voter competence laws | Bazelon Center

List of U.S. presidential campaign slogans | Wikipedia

Too Close to Call | Toobin

Internet voting in Estonia | e-estonia

Fixing Congress with fair representation voting | FairVote

Residents of four liberated regions supported in joining Russia

European elections guide | The Conversation


Aggregation of individual preferences

Choosing in Groups | Munger and Munger

Election results | Maine Department of the Secretary of State

How ranked choice voting could tip the scales in Maine's tight 2nd district | Washington Post

Is ranked choice voting a better way to pick a president? | NBCLX

Michael Munger on choosing in groups | EconTalk

Graham challenger pushing conservatives towards 3rd candidate | AP

Ranked choice voting 101 | FairVote

Inside the novel voting system that could sink Palin's comeback bid

Rodden on the geography of voting | EconTalk

Voting paradoxes | Exploratorium

Alaska special general election

Simulating instant runoff flips most Donald Trump primary victories | FairVote


Alternative voting procedures

Annual awards | BBWA

Rick Porcello narrowly wins AL Cy Young | BBWA

Baseball Hall of Fame vote tracker


Approval and Braves

Baseball Hall of Fame - Atlanta Braves

Baseball Hall of Fame - Milwaukee Braves

Baseball Hall of Fame - Boston Braves


Borda and Braves

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. wins NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year | BBWA

Braves' Brian Snitker honored as NL's top manager | BBWA

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman wins NL MVP | BBWA

Bobby Cox hauls in 3rd Manager of the Year award | BBWA

Bobby Cox wins Manager of the Year | BBWA

Craig Kimbrel wins NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year unanimously | BBWA


Borda and Seminoles

Charlie Ward | Heisman

Chris Weinke | Heisman

Jameis Winston | Heisman


Instrumental and expressive voting

Crawled over the line | The Pensacola News

The empirical frequency of a pivotal vote | Mulligan and Hunter (2003)

List of close election results | Wikipedia

Odds of 51 random events happening to you | Stacker

Rock the Vote #WeWill video | Rock the Vote

Swing Vote trailer

What are the chances your vote matters? | Slate (More here)

What is the probability your vote will make a difference? | Gelman, Silver, and Edlin (2012)


Rational ignorance

Caplan on the myth of the rational voter | EconTalk

Don Boudreaux on public choice | EconTalk

JayWalking Civics Test

Ilya Somin on "Political ignorance in America" | Templeton Foundation

Why are voters so uninformed? | Learn Liberty

Public policy design

Logrolling and earmarks

Don Boudreaux on public choice | EconTalk

Earmark database | Citizens Against Government Waste

Earmarks, explained | Newsy

Follow the money: M1 Abrams tank | Full Measure

Pork barrel spending | Strata Academics

Pork-barrel spending: A tank graveyard is the perfect example | Newsy

'Shrimp on a treadmill': Rand Paul mocks NSF studies | Forbes

Shrimp on a treadmill

PublicChoiceLogrolling | Economics Tutoring ASU Department of Economics

Terry Moe on the Constitution, the Presidency, and Relic I EconTalk

Vote swapping app helps voters trade votes to swing states | ABC News


Lobbying

Bruce Yandle on bootleggers and Baptists | EconTalk

An exodus from Congress tests the lure of lobbying | The Atlantic

Campaign contributions facilitate access to congressional officials: A randomized field experiment | Kalla and Broockman (2015)

Fundraising for favors? Linking lobbyist-hosted fundraisers to legislative benefits | McKay (2018)

Giving away money: An economist's guide to political life | EconTalk

Lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions by the pharmaceutical and health product industry in the United States, 1999-2018 | Wouters (2020)

Measuring rates of return for lobbying expenditures | Alexander, Mazza, and Scholz (2009)

The US elections explained: Lobbying | LSE

OpenSecrets


More bootleggers and Baptists

Operation PBFortune | Wikipedia


Rent-seeking

Amazon headquarters race has cities battling for bid | NBC

Boudreaux on market failure, government failure and the economics of antitrust regulation | EconTalk

Giving away money: An economist's guide to political life | EconTalk

Giving away money costs more than you think | Learn Liberty

Incentives and Applications | Georgia Department of Economic Development

Michigan cherry farmers could lose jobs, livelihoods amid tough competition from overseas | USA Today

Munger on private and public rent-seeking | EconTalk

Rent seeking - Public choice theory - Michael Munger | IHS

Rent seeking and competition | South Park

Rent-seek and you will find | EconLib


Regulatory capture

Luigi Zingales on incentives and the potential capture of economists by special interests | EconTalk

Most people can't afford legal help. 1 reformer wants to change that | Planet Money

States require more training time to become barber than to a become a police officer | CNN

Do cosmetologists require more training than police? | Snopes

This is why alcohol doesn't come with nutrition facts

What is regulatory capture?

Why do so many need the government's permission to work? | Institute for Justice

Winston on market failure and government failure | EconTalk

FDA deregulation increases safety and innovation and reduces prices | Marginal Revolution


Bureaucracies

Bureaucracy basics | Crash Course Politics

Types of bureaucracies | Crash Course Politics


Incumbent advantage

Reelection rates over the years | Center for Responsive Politics


Contribution limits

Contribution limits | Center for Responsive Politics


Gerrymandering

The atlas of redistricting | FiveThirtyEight

2022 congressional districts | FiveThirtyEight

Georgia's congressional districts | Wikipedia

Gerrymandering | Crash Course Politics

Gerrymandering explained | CGP Grey

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle remarks

The man who rigged America's election maps | Vox

Why a citizenship question on the census would perpetuate gerrymandering | Democracy Now!

U.S. House of Representatives | Ballotpedia

REDMAP | Planet Money


Committees

Congressional committees | Crash Course Politics

Congressional committees | GovTrack