Hardback
Policy Analysis and Public Choice
Selected Papers by William A. Niskanen
9781858987026 Edward Elgar Publishing
Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selection of articles written by William A. Niskanen over the last thirty years. The volume represents two quite different disciplines to which Niskanen has made a major contribution: policy analysis and public choice. It also includes his major essays on proprietary studies as well as many of his professional papers written for an academic audience.
More Information
Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
Policy Analysis and Public Choice is an important selection of articles written by William A. Niskanen over the last thirty years. The volume represents two quite different disciplines to which Niskanen has made a major contribution: policy analysis and public choice. It also includes his major essays on proprietary studies as well as many of his professional papers written for an academic audience.
Part I details Niskanen’s important contribution to policy analysis. The diverse topics discussed include: defence spending and resource allocation, trade policy, crime and drug policy, and welfare and the culture of poverty. Part II is concerned with public choice and political economy, in particular the liberal economic order, bureaucracy, democratic government and progressive taxation. The volume also includes an autobiographical summary focusing on the complementary nature of his work on policy analysis and public choice, and a number of commentaries that reflect Niskanen’s unique professional background and perspective.
Policy Analysis and Public Choice will be of special interest to those interested in public choice, public policy, political economy and political science.
Part I details Niskanen’s important contribution to policy analysis. The diverse topics discussed include: defence spending and resource allocation, trade policy, crime and drug policy, and welfare and the culture of poverty. Part II is concerned with public choice and political economy, in particular the liberal economic order, bureaucracy, democratic government and progressive taxation. The volume also includes an autobiographical summary focusing on the complementary nature of his work on policy analysis and public choice, and a number of commentaries that reflect Niskanen’s unique professional background and perspective.
Policy Analysis and Public Choice will be of special interest to those interested in public choice, public policy, political economy and political science.
Critical Acclaim
‘Niskanen’s analysis is insightful and thought-provoking on all of the various topics covered.’
– Randall G. Holcombe, The Independent Review
‘This volume has much to recommend it. . . the range and quality of the papers is just one gainful reason for reading the book. The second reason, and perhaps the more interesting one, is that the collection reveals the author’s preferences regarding the work of his long and impressive career. . . Niskanen shows that he is as much concerned about rules of just conduct and constitutional constraints that assure a liberal order as he is about good economic analysis and the powerful insights offered by public choice. The papers demonstrate thoughtful appreciation of both the normative and positive aspects of public policy. . . Public choice scholars, anyone who appreciates strong policy analysis, and readers interested in political economy should put this book on their reading list. . . A stimulating book.’
– Bruce Yandle, The Freeman, Ideas on Liberty
– Randall G. Holcombe, The Independent Review
‘This volume has much to recommend it. . . the range and quality of the papers is just one gainful reason for reading the book. The second reason, and perhaps the more interesting one, is that the collection reveals the author’s preferences regarding the work of his long and impressive career. . . Niskanen shows that he is as much concerned about rules of just conduct and constitutional constraints that assure a liberal order as he is about good economic analysis and the powerful insights offered by public choice. The papers demonstrate thoughtful appreciation of both the normative and positive aspects of public policy. . . Public choice scholars, anyone who appreciates strong policy analysis, and readers interested in political economy should put this book on their reading list. . . A stimulating book.’
– Bruce Yandle, The Freeman, Ideas on Liberty
Contents
Contents: 1. Personal Note: From Technocrat to Political Economist 2. An Irreverent Perspective on the Case for Federal Chartering of Corporations Part I. Policy Analysis 3. Crime, Police and Root Causes 4. The Defense Resource Allocation Process 5. More Defense Spending for Smaller Forces 6. The District of Columbia 7. Economists and Drug Policy 8. Student Performance and School District Size 9. Land Prices Substantially Underestimate the Value of Environmental Quality 10. Fiscal Effects on US Economic Growth 11. Political Guidance on Monetary Policy 12. Economists and Politicians 13. Reaganomics 14. Economic Regulation 15. US Trade Policy 16. The Determinants of US Capital Imports 17. Welfare and the Culture of Poverty 18. The President is Not our Leader Part II. Political Economy 19. Economic and Political Effects on the Popular Vote for the President 20. The Environmental Consequences of Majority Rule 21. Progressive Taxation and Democratic Government 22. Public Policy and the Political Process 23. The Pathology of Politics 24. The Opportunities for Political Entrepreneurship 25. Corporations and Other Large Organizations 26. Guidelines for Delineating the Private and the Government Sector 27. The Soft Infrastructure of a Market Economy 28. Conditions Affecting the Survival of Constitutional Rules 29. The Case for a New Fiscal Constitution 30. The Reflections of a Grump 31. The Moral Case for Bourgeois Democracy 32. The Prospect for Liberal Democracy 33. The Erosion of the Liberal Economic Order 34. Growing Up
