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Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Public choice

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Full-Text Articles in Law

The Myth Of The Condorcet Winner, Paul H. Edelman Jan 2015

The Myth Of The Condorcet Winner, Paul H. Edelman

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

There is consensus among legal scholars that, when choosing among multiple alternatives, the Condorcet winner, should it exist, is the preferred option. In this essay I will refute that claim, both normatively and positively. In addition, I will suggest that a different approach, based in behavioral economics, might be a more productive way to model the choices that legislatures make among multiple alternatives.


Behavioral Public Choice: The Behavioral Paradox Of Government Policy, W. Kip Viscusi Jan 2015

Behavioral Public Choice: The Behavioral Paradox Of Government Policy, W. Kip Viscusi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Although government agencies increasingly use behavioral irrationalities as a justification for government intervention, the paradox is that these same government policies are also subject to similar behavioral inadequacies across a broad range of policies. This article develops an analysis of behavioral public choice in which we recognize that government officials are human and subject to behavioral anomalies and to public choice incentives that could further lead to welfare-reducing policies. Moreover, the existence of behavioral failures by the general public will lead to public pressures on government agencies to foster policies in response to these behavioral inadequacies. This article presents a …


The Political Economy Of Energy And Its Implications For Climate Change Legislation, Jim Rossi Jan 2009

The Political Economy Of Energy And Its Implications For Climate Change Legislation, Jim Rossi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Public choice themes have arisen throughout the history of U.S. energy regulation and continue to be relevant today, particularly with widespread discussion of deregulation and increased attention to climate change. This Article surveys how public choice themes are relevant to understanding a host of issues of importance to the electric power industry today, including the structure of the industry, the significance of wholesale markets, and the division of regulatory power between state and federal authorities. The Article highlights how an understanding of how public choice has contributed to these features of the electric power industry will prove important to the …


Public Choice Theory And The Fragmented Web Of The Contemporary Administrative State, Jim Rossi Jan 1998

Public Choice Theory And The Fragmented Web Of The Contemporary Administrative State, Jim Rossi

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

In the recent book, Greed, Chaos and Governance: Using Public Choice to Improve Public Law (Yale U. Press 1997), Jerry Mashaw addresses the convergence between public choice and administrative law. This review essay summarizes Mashaw's arguments and explores his use of public choice tools. The review suggests that, absent some unifying theoretical perspective for understanding administrative governance outside of public choice method, little more than rampant pessimism or fragmented lessons about the administrative state can be taken.