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School of Politics and International Relations · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Similar to how economists portray individuals making choices in the private market, political scientists can represent political agents as self-interested rational maximisers when making choices in the public market. This approach, called public choice, involves the use of economic tools in political science research. By integrating rational choice, social choice, and game theory, this course provides a comprehensive overview of public choice and its theoretical and empirical contributions to our understanding of various political phenomena, such as state formation, democratic decision-making, collective action, public goods and distributive politics, voting methods and electoral systems, party competition, political behaviour, coalition governance, and interstate conflicts. Throughout the course, we will explore the extent to which the political realm differs from the economic realm, the relationship between individual self-interest and collective welfare, and how variations in institutional design can significantly impact the outcome of collective decision-making processes.
Typical assessment may include, but is not restricted to: exams, assignments, quizzes, presentations, participation and other assessment as appropriate. See class summary for final details for 2025.
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 34 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures, and 10 hours of tutorials, seminars, workshops, or similar activities; and b) 96 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Shepsle, Kenneth A. 2010. Analyzing Politics. London: W. W. Norton. [Second Edition.] Preliminary Reading - Riker, William H. 1988. Liberalism against populism. Long Grove: Waveband Press. [Reissued Edition.] - Johnson, David B. 1991. Public Choice: An Introduction to the new political economy. London: WCB/McGraw-Hill. - Hindmoor, Andrew. 2006. Rational Choice. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. - Butler, Eamonn. 2012. Public Choice: A Primer. London: Institute of Economic Affairs.