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The political process focuses on the ways that people come together to engage in collective decision making in a variety of contexts. The central elements of the political process include: the formation of rules, the subsequent interactions that take place within those rules, and the evolution of rules over time.
Scholars working in the area of Virginia political economy-e.g., James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock-emphasize the importance of applying the tools of economics to non-market settings, including politics. Scholars in this tradition focus on both politics and economics to understand the formation of political rules-constitutional political economy-as well as the subsequent play within those rules-public choice. Scholars in the Bloomington School-most notably, Elinor and Vincent Ostrom-have emphasized three important aspects of the political process and political order. The first is the distinction between "rules in form" and "rules in use." The rules in form refer to codified rules while the rules in use refer to the rules that people actually follow in their daily lives.
Together, these dynamics generate the political order. The chapters in this volume explore and engage the key thinkers and ideas of the Virginia and Bloomington schools of political economy. The diversity in topics and approaches will make the volume of interest to readers in a variety of fields, including economics, entrepreneurship, history, political science, and public policy.
List of contents
Introduction, Donald J. Boudreaux, Christopher J. Coyne, Bobbi Herzberg
Part I - Interdisciplinary Foundations
1. A Smithian Critique of James M. Buchanan's Constitutional Contractarianism, Malte Dold / 2. Towards a More "Tocquevillian" Social Science: Family, Gender, Loyalty and Virtue in Modern Democratic Associationalism, Sarah Jane Wilford / 3. Coping with Complexity: A Theory of Hayekian Interventionism, Alexander Schaefer / 4. The Entanglement of Public Bureaucratic Institutions: Their Interactions with Society, Culture, Politics, and the Economy, Jan P. Vogler / 5. The Conception of Taxation: The Romantic versus Realistic Point of View, Charles Delmotte
Part II - Interdisciplinary Applications
6. Warning Out, Settlement Laws, and Managing Poor-Relief CPRs in the Tocquevillian Township, Bob Kaminski / 7. Polycentricity and Transnational Environmental Governance: A Comparison of Literatures, James Heilman / 8. Dispute Avoidance through International Regulatory Cooperation: A Public Choice Approach, Inu Manak / 9. The Role of Experts and Intellectuals in Designing the Post-Conflict Iraqi Constitution, Jozef Andrew Kosc
About the Authors
About the author
Donald J. Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow with the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a Mercatus Center Board Member, and a professor of economics and former economics-department chairman at George Mason University.
Christopher J. Coyne is the F. A. Harper Professor of Economics at George Mason University and the Associate Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center.
Bobbi Herzberg is a Distinguished Senior Fellow in the F. A. Hayek Program in Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Summary
The chapters in this volume explore and engage the key thinkers and ideas of the Virginia and Bloomington schools of political economy.
