The Consequences of Political Choices: Rational Choice and Public Policy
Balme, Richard
The Consequences of Political Choices: Rational Choice and Public Policy - 2005.
4
This article explores the main methodological dimensions of Rational Choice approach to Public Policy. It introduces some recent works addressing key aspects of contemporary public policy such as privatization, convergence in macro-economic policy, the control of Welfare spending, and the production of norms in public policy-making. Evidence suggests that a significant part of variance in public policy stems form intentional choices among purposive actors. We argue that the core originality of Rational Choice approach lies more with anticipation than with the search for optimality as a behavioral assumption. The value of Rational Choice for a political analysis of public policy lies precisely in considering the actors’ capacity to base their choices on expectations of future situations, rather than on the determinacy of the past.
The Consequences of Political Choices: Rational Choice and Public Policy - 2005.
4
This article explores the main methodological dimensions of Rational Choice approach to Public Policy. It introduces some recent works addressing key aspects of contemporary public policy such as privatization, convergence in macro-economic policy, the control of Welfare spending, and the production of norms in public policy-making. Evidence suggests that a significant part of variance in public policy stems form intentional choices among purposive actors. We argue that the core originality of Rational Choice approach lies more with anticipation than with the search for optimality as a behavioral assumption. The value of Rational Choice for a political analysis of public policy lies precisely in considering the actors’ capacity to base their choices on expectations of future situations, rather than on the determinacy of the past.
Réseaux sociaux