Public Choice Theory
This page offers supplementary links to in-class lectures.
Introduction to Public Choice
Suggested podcast episodes and videos
Boudreaux on market failure, government failure and the economics of antitrust regulation | EconTalk
Bruce Yandle on bootleggers and Baptists | EconTalk
Don Boudreaux on public choice | EconTalk
Giving away money: An economist's guide to political life | EconTalk
Winston on market failure and government failure | EconTalk
What is Public Choice Theory? | Institute for Humane Studies
Suggested resources
Advanced Introduction to Public Choice | Holcombe
Checks and Balance podcast | The Economist
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
Guide to state voting rules that apply after a criminal conviction | DOJ
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
Internet voting in Estonia | e-estonia
Fixing Congress with fair representation voting | FairVote
Residents of four liberated regions supported in joining Russia
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
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
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
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
Ilya Somin on "Political ignorance in America" | Templeton Foundation
Public policy design
Logrolling and earmarks
Don Boudreaux on public choice | EconTalk
Earmark database | Citizens Against Government Waste
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
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
Fundraising for favors? Linking lobbyist-hosted fundraisers to legislative benefits | McKay (2018)
Giving away money: An economist's guide to political life | EconTalk
Measuring rates of return for lobbying expenditures | Alexander, Mazza, and Scholz (2009)
The US elections explained: Lobbying | LSE
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
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
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
Committees
Constitutional design
Constitutional and post-constitutional decisions
The distinction between clubs and governments | Holcombe (1994) in The Economic Foundations of Government
A generalized economic theory of constitutions | Buchanan and Tullock (1962) in The Calculus of Consent
Government by contract | Boudreaux and Holcombe (1989)
Leeson on pirates and the invisible hook | EconTalk
Michael Munger on choosing in groups | EconTalk
Rodden on the geography of voting | EconTalk
Terry Moe on the Constitution, the Presidency, and Relic I EconTalk