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Public Choice
Public Choice
Rational Ignorance
Many voter citizens choose to be uninformed
about politics and government because the benefits
of becoming informed are often outweighed by the
costs of becoming informed.
Many persons believe that becoming informed is
simply not worth the effort.
On an individual basis, it makes sense to be
uninformed about politics and government, to be
in a state of rational ignorance.
Q&A
If a politician running for office does not speak in general
terms, does not try to move to the middle of the political
spectrum, and does not take polls, does it follow that the
median voter model is wrong?
Voters often criticize politicians running for office who do
not speak in specific terms (tell them what spending
programs will be cut, whose taxes will be raised, and so on).
If voters want politicians running for office to speak in
specific terms, then why dont politicians do this?
An English literature professor comments that his students
are apathetic because they dont seem to be informed about
whats happening in the political realm. Comment.
Rent Seeking
Rent Vs. Profit: the term rent refers to that part of the
payment to an owner of resources over and above that which
those resources could command in any alternative use.
When rent is the result of entrepreneurial activity designed
to either satisfy a new demand or rearrange resources in an
increasingly valuable way, then rent is usually called profit.
Rent is not referred to as profit in a setting where no new
demand is satisfied or no additional value is created. Rent
seeking is the expenditure of scarce resources to capture a
pure transfer.
Rent Seeking Is Socially Wasteful: From societys
perspective, the resources used in rent seeking are wasted
and make society (but not necessarily all individuals in
society) poorer.
Rent Seeking
Brown and Smith are the only two people in a society in which the total amount of
resources, or the total income, is $10,000. Currently, Brown and Smith are located at
point A on I1, where each receives some of the $10,000. Smith wants to move to
point B, where he would receive more income than he does at point A. To try to bring
this outcome about, he lobbies legislator to pass a law that will transfer income away
from Brown to him. In other words, he is rent seeking. Because rent seeking
activity uses resources in a socially unproductive way, there are fewer resources, or
less total income, to divide between Brown and Smith. Still, Smith may not mind this
if he has moved from point A on I1 to point C on I2, as a result of his rent seeking
activities. Overall, Brown and smith are worse off (sharing $9,000 instead of
$10,000), but Smith is better off at point C than at point A.
Q&A
The average farmer is likely to be better informed about
federal agricultural policy than the average food
consumer. Why?
Consider a piece of special interest legislation that will
transfer $40 million from group A to group B, where group
B includes 10,000. Is this piece of special interest
legislation more likely to pass when group A includes
10,000 people or when group A includes 10 million people?
Explain your answer.
Give an example of public interest talk spoken by a
special interest group.
Why is rent seeking activity socially wasteful?
Government Bureaucracy
A government
bureaucrat is an
unelected person who
works in a government
bureau and is assigned
a special task that
relates to a law or
program passed by the
legislature.
Consequences of Bureaucracy
No one has a monetary incentive to monitor the
government bureau because no one owns the
government bureau and no one can sell an ownership
right.
Government bureaus and bureaucrats are not likely to try
to please the customer as private firms are because they
have no competition and are not threatened by any in the
future.
Government bureaucrats are likely to lobby for the
continued existence and expansion of the programs they
administer. To behave differently would go against their
best interests.