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Research School of Economics · ANU College of Business and Economics
Currently, in most of the economics that is taught, government decisions are not adequately explained, but are treated as exogenous, or (sometimes), assumed to be determined by considerations of ‘optimality’. The course seeks to develop an understanding of how governments actually use their ‘policy space’ in economic matters, and how they actually respond to expansions (or contractions) in that space.
Students taking this course are expected to commit at least 12 hours a week comprised of: 2 hours of lectures and, 1 hour of tutorial, and 8 hours of private study. Other Information See the course outline on the College courses page. Outlines are uploaded as they become available.
Texts and Other Reading Prescribed Texts There is currently no suitable text. Recommended Reading Brennan, Geoffrey and James M Buchanan 1980 The Power to Tax, chs 2,3 and 4, CUP Brennan G, and Lomasky L 1987, ‘The Impartial Spectator Goes to Washington: towards a Smithian Theory of Electoral Behaviour’ Economics and Philosophy 189-211 Buchanan, J,M. 1975 ‘Constitutional Contract’, in The Limits of Liberty, University of Chicago Hamlin, A.P. ‘The Political Economy of Constitutional Federalism’, Public Choice, 46(2) 187-195 Niskanen, William A. 1994, Bureaucracy and public economics, Aldershot : Elgar Olson, Mancur 2000, Power and Prosperity : outgrowing communist and capitalist dictatorships New York : Basic Books Peltzman, S. 1974 ‘Towards a More General Theory of Regulation’, Journal of Law and Economics, 335-58 Tollison R.D. 1989, ‘Chicago Political Economy’ Public Choice 63, 293-297 Tullock G ‘Efficient Rent Seeking’ in Towards a Theory of the Rent Seeking Society, eds JM Buchanan, RD Tolison and G Tullock