[355] in libertarians
Laissez Faire Book News: ON THE TRAIL OF HOMO ECONOMICUS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Chris Whitten)
Fri Nov 4 16:56:07 1994
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 16:43:35 -0500 (EST)
From: Chris Whitten <lfb@panix.com>
Apparently-To: <libertarians@mit.edu>
Curious ways government serves its self-interest
at the expense of everyone else
ON THE TRAIL OF HOMO ECONOMICUS
Essays by Gordon Tullock
edited by Gordon L. Brady and Robert D. Tollison
(reviewed by Jim Powell)
Once upon a time, nearly all intellectuals seemed to believe
that private individuals pursued their self-interest, while
government officials upheld something more noble called the
"public interest." Thanks to Gordon Tullock and others who
pioneered "Public Choice" economics, there's now widespread
understanding about how government's policy is driven by its own
self-interest.
This book gathers together 15 of his essays. They cover
rent-seeking, game theory, the impact of institutions on
economies and other subjects related to Public Choice analysis.
Although he does include some mathematical models, his prose is
easy to understand. Among other things, he explains:
* How shrewd politicians exploit people up to the point
where they're likely to rebel
* How government goodies encourage business people to
squander scarce resources
* Why it's almost always lobbyists from old, declining
industries who tout the "infant industries" argument for trade
restrictions
* Why politicians usually appoint incompetents to run
government-owned businesses
* Why environmentalists and coal mine lobbyists promoted a
federal law which means more air pollution than there would be in
a free market
* A squabble about government regulations to dictate how
much cheese pizza producers must put on pizzas--dairy lobbyists
(favoring lots of cheese) versus pizza producers (pro-choice on
the cheese question)
This book includes a profile of Tullock's unorthodox
academic career, an assessment of his work and a bibliography
listing all of his published as well as unpublished papers.
Book No. EC6167 (hardcover) 243p. publisher's price $49.50
LAISSEZ FAIRE PRICE ONLY $24.95
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Thank you,
Chris
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