Surveys of Public Choice Views
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Do Economists Differ from Political Scientists on Public Choice? Evidence from a Survey
Korean Journal of Public Choice 1: 35-41, 2006
Abstract. Economists and political scientists are thought to disagree on many topics, including those in the field of public choice which overlap the two disciplines. To better determine if this is true, and on which public choice topics in particular there is disagreement or consensus, we circulated a survey of public choice questions to random members of the American Economics Association and American Political Science Association. Analysis of the returned questionnaires suggests normative differences appear to be more systematic than are differences in the beliefs of basic modeling assumptions, which may influence the conclusions drawn regarding the outcomes.
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Public Choice Economics: Where is There Consensus?
American Economist 49: 66-78, 2005
Abstract. Are Public Choice scholars' conclusions accepted by rank-and-file economists and political scientists? If not, why not? To answer these questions we use survey results to compare the conclusions of self-identified public choice scholars with those in the adjacent disciplines of economics and political science. We examine thirty-five propositions in seven areas: (1) assumptions about political actors; (2) normative beliefs about government and voting; (3) elections and economic performance; (4) parties, platforms, voting and preferences; (5) government's purposes and growth; (6) individual behavior--voting-with-feet and free riding; and (7) government and the market. We conclude that, although there is a consensus on many of the issues, there is substantial remaining disagreement on many questions that appears to be tied to the competing presuppositions of scholars in economics and political science.
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Are Public Choice Scholars Different?
PS: Political Science and Politics 36: 797-799, 2003
Abstract. Critics of public choice analysis argue that these scholars are different. They are self-selected into the field, their arguments and conclusions are dominated by their personal ideological positions, and therefore other scholars do not accept their results. A survey of members of the Public Choice Society, American Economic Association, and American Political Science Association shows that most of the public choice propositions accepted by public choice scholars are also accepted by general economists, but less so by general political scientists.