Lars Udehn - The Limits of Public Choice: A Sociological Critique of the Economic Theory of Politics

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THE LIMITS OF PUBLIC CHOICE

Public choice, the economic theory of polities, has been one of the most important developments in the social sciences in the last twenty years. This book argues that the claims made by many economists and their followers about the scope and richness of this approach are greatly exaggerated.

The book addresses a wide range of the approaches which come under the heading of public choice, paying particular attention to the work of Buchanan, Tullock, Downs and Olson. According to James Buchanan, public choice is based on the following key assumptions of economics:

Despite these problems, the author acknowledges that the recent popularity of economic thinking in the other social sciencesoften referred to as economic imperialismhas had a revitalizing effect. However it becomes counterproductive when it begins to crowd out other approaches, and in particular it argues for the richness of the sociological approach to politics, as a complement to the economic one.

Lars Udehn is a researcher and lecturer in Sociology at the University of Uppsala.

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A sociological critique of the economic theory of politics

Lars Udehn

London and New York

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First published 1996
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

1996 Lars Udehn

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested

ISBN 0-203-00790-5 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-29106-9 (OEB Format)

ISBN 0-415-08273-0 (hbk)

ISBN 0-415-12512-X (pbk)

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To my parents, Elsa and Lennart

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