Public Choice Theory

However, the rational perspective argues that government action may not achieve the desired effect. This essay examines the objections the critical objections in the public choice theory. The critical opposing viewpoints include that the narrowness of the vital aspects of the approach including the notion that individuals’ political agents are only motivated by concerns. Other opposing viewpoints include the discrepancy between the theoretical perspectives and the practicability of the theory. The Moral objection Opponents argue that the rational choice theory is immoral. Vitally, Buchanan argues that the public choice theory performs the noble duty of exposing the nakedness of the kings which other political theorists have not cared to bring to the attention of the masses. Downs stated that the reasons as to why the rational choice theory is preoccupied with the logical decision-making process of the actors are because it is the most critical aspect of a political philosophy upon which other explanations evolve.

Downs argue that any move to design theory of government without describing the motives of the individuals who run the government is inconsistent with the primary body of economic analysis (Downs, 2001, p. It is vital that analysts do not treat the government actions on a purely normative level. The lack of emphasis on the rational perspective of men in government would lead to difficulties in integrating the decision-makers in government with the general equilibrium theory. The ruling parties only serve the interests of the voting group if by doing so it will help them to gain office (Downs, 2003, p. Buchanan argues that exploring the rational aspect of politicians’ actions is essential to creating an understanding of the prominent nature of pork-barrel politics that dominate the attention of most of the policymakers.

Also, the rational perspective explains why the government rarely perform according to the promises they made to the public. Buchanan response to the contentions is that individuals rarely vary their behaviors. Vitally, the same individuals who are involved in choosing in the market are faced with the decision to choose for the public (Buchanan, 2003). Schumpeter and other opponents argue on the flaws of the rational choice theory since it is biased as it supports just the rational part of the economic agents (Egidi, 2017). In reality there are various operations in the marketplace with the most prominent function involving the division of labor (Downs, 2001, p. When the concept of division of labor is applied to the analysis of politics, then the government would appear as comprising of individuals who have a private motive as well as a social function to accomplish.

The social function ensures that the government actions are aimed at providing utility to others. The opponents of the public choice theory argue that the biases of the rational choice theory undermine the practicability of the approach and it, therefore, remains more of a theoretical perspective rather than a practical perspective. With complete information, each of the voters will be aware of what benefits them the most. They know what the government is doing as well as what the different parties would do suppose they come into power (Downs, 2001, p. However, in real political settings, the availability of perfect information is impossible. Lack of complete information prevents the actualization of the rational choice theory into politics. Vitally, lack of complete information is a basic condition in human life.

Responses by Proponents The proponents argue that the government can overcome the lack of information about what the citizens want it to do. The government overcomes the inability to know the citizens desire by sending representatives to the public who work to discover their desires. The government also serves to persuade the people on the reasons as to why it should be re-elected. Therefore, lack of information leads to the conversion of a democratic government to a representative government by forcing the central governing party to depend on agents reach to the masses and provide them with information about the government (Downs, 2001, p. In all economies, the democratic government performs their work on the basis of quasi decentralized and quasi representative basis.