Political Theory and Public Choice

The late Anthony Downs, formerly Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, US

'Anthony Downs is one of the outstanding thinkers of our times. In an age and country where the title of intellectual has become almost a term of abuse, he has demonstrated the power of ideas in the world of practical affairs. His work focuses on problems, and cuts through disciplinary boundaries. It is informed by a concern to improve the human condition, and a commitment to rigorous analysis of how this can be achieved. The papers in this collection, from his classic work on the economic theory of democracy, to his writings on urban policy and property markets, provide a summary of forty years of a career that has decisively shaped the way in which we think about public affairs.'

• Contents: Acknowledgements Introduction 1. An Economic Theory of Political Action in Democracy 2. Why the Government Budget is too Small in a Democracy 3. In Defense of Majority Voting 4. The Public Interest: Its Meaning in a Democracy 5. A Theory of Large Managerial Firms 6. Up and Down with Ecology – the “Issue-Attention Cycle” 7. Separating the Planning and Procurement of Public Services from their Production and Delivery 8. They Sell Sizzle, but Their Predictions Fizzle 9. The Evolution of Democracy