Public choice Flashcards
What is the core method Rawls uses to derive principles of justice?
The ‘Original Position’ behind a ‘Veil of Ignorance,’ where rational individuals agree on principles without knowing their social status.
What are Rawls’ two principles of justice?
(1) Equal basic liberties for all; (2) Inequalities allowed only if they benefit the least advantaged (the Difference Principle).
What is the main public choice criticism of Rawls’ assumption about political decision-making?
Rawls idealizes political actors as rational and benevolent, ignoring that real-world decision-makers are self-interested and strategic.
According to Buchanan and Tullock, why is Rawls’ model of political behavior unrealistic?
Because in reality, politics is messy, full of rent-seeking, logrolling, and self-interest, not pure rational consensus.
How does public choice theory view the role of institutions?
Institutions create incentives and constraints; without proper institutional design, self-interest will corrupt political outcomes.
What does public choice say about Rawls’ lack of attention to enforcement mechanisms?
Rawls assumes principles will be implemented faithfully, but public choice highlights the need for institutional checks to prevent corruption and rent-seeking.
What is rational ignorance, and how does it critique Rawls’ Original Position?
Rational ignorance is when voters remain uninformed because the cost of being informed outweighs the impact of their individual vote, undermining Rawls’ assumption of rational, informed decision-making.
How could Rawls’ Difference Principle encourage rent-seeking behavior?
Groups could lobby and frame their self-interest as helping the least advantaged, leading to political competition over redistribution and waste of resources.
What is Buchanan’s distinction between constitutional and post-constitutional politics?
Constitutional choice involves agreeing on rules under uncertainty; post-constitutional politics is daily bargaining and policy-making after the rules are set.
How does Buchanan criticize Rawls regarding constitutional and post-constitutional phases?
Rawls ignores that self-interest re-emerges after constitutional agreement, requiring ongoing institutional constraints.
What does public choice theory propose instead of Rawls’ utopian justice?
Focus on designing robust constitutional rules that manage self-interest, not ideal theories assuming perfect rationality and morality.
What is the public choice theory’s bottom line critique of Rawls?
Rawls is overly idealistic, neglects real-world incentives and institutional design, and underestimates rent-seeking, irrationality, and political opportunism.
