Rational or Social Choice Theory is a growing Nobel Prize-winning field which seeks to apply the formal methods of neoclassical or micro-economics to the study of voting. Perhaps the field’s most striking finding is that majority voting is “irrational”, or highly likely to issue in outcomes that are mathematically arbitrary and dictatorial or imposed, while laissez-faire or approximately unanimous decision (minority veto) are found to be “rational” and “optimal”. Diverse observers have noticed the distinct resemblance of such “rational actor” models to the political theory of John C. Calhoun, the American antebellum Southern Senator (the “Doctrine of the Concurrent Majority”). Using the usual methods of traditional political theory, my work uncovers a paper trail of citation and discussion of minority veto versus majority rule that goes back from Rational Choice Theory to one Knut Wicksell, the great turn of the 20th century Swedish economist, and from there through John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hare back to Calhoun himself. The results of Rational Choice Theory are revealed to come from inherited ideas rather than from formal logical or mathematical methods. This result in turn suggests significant consequences for the methodology of economics in general as well as for the resultant public policy proposals, such as the Social Choice-inspired Balanced Budget Amendments, which would restrict majority control over taxation and fiscal policy, and which have been under discussion in America and Europe since the 1980's
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Political Science
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_4370
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
vii, 228 p.
Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Clement H. Kreider, III
Subject
Name (authority = LC-NAF)
NamePart (type = personal)
Calhoun, John C.--(John Caldwell),--1782-1850--Political and social views
Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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License
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Author Agreement License
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.