114-0442/02 – The Economics of Public Choice (EVV)

Gurantor departmentDepartment of EconomicsCredits4
Subject guarantordoc. Ing. Jan Janků, Ph.D.Subject version guarantordoc. Ing. Jan Janků, Ph.D.
Study levelundergraduate or graduateRequirementChoice-compulsory type B
YearSemesterwinter
Study languageCzech
Year of introduction2019/2020Year of cancellation
Intended for the facultiesEKFIntended for study typesFollow-up Master
Instruction secured by
LoginNameTuitorTeacher giving lectures
JAW127 doc. Ing. Jan Janků, Ph.D.
Extent of instruction for forms of study
Form of studyWay of compl.Extent
Part-time Examination 12+0

Subject aims expressed by acquired skills and competences

- Providing a basic overview of the problems of public choice theory - Students will be able to economically analyze voting behavior, the behavior of elected representatives, interest groups, and bureaucracies - Students will acquire the knowledge to analyze political and other collective institutions in a basic way and will be competent to evaluate the appropriate settings for these institutions - Students will acquire basic and key knowledge of economic policy making in representative democracies, taking into account the rational actor model - Students will be able to describe and identify the inferior effects of inappropriately implemented economic policies

Teaching methods

Lectures

Summary

The course is aimed at providing a basic overview of the problems of public choice theory. The course includes an analysis of voting behavior, the behavior of elected representatives, interest groups, and bureaucracy. The course employs a rational choice model and treats political market actors as traditional "shoppers" or "sellers", the course therefore favours an economic way of thinking about political markets. The economic way of thinking about political markets and collective action allows the analysis of political and other collective institutions and also to assess the appropriateness of the settings of these institutions. The course thus partly covers the field of constitutional and institutional economics. The course also provides basic and key insights into economic policymaking in representative democracies, taking into account the rational actor model. Thus, it also deals with the inferior effects of implemented economic policies. Graduates of the course should be able to apply economic reasoning in a non-market and political environment markets at an intermediate level.

Compulsory literature:

HILLMAN, Arye L. Public finance and public policy: responsibilities and limitations of government. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0521738057.

Recommended literature:

PERSSON, Torsten a Guido TABELLINI. 2000. Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. ISBN 0-262-16195-8.

Way of continuous check of knowledge in the course of semester

Written exam

E-learning

Other requirements

Students take a written exam at the end of the semester. This written exam is based on individual lecture blocks. Students can use e-learning materials in LMS Moodle.

Prerequisities

Subject has no prerequisities.

Co-requisities

Subject has no co-requisities.

Subject syllabus:

1) Introduction to public choice theory - The basic foundations of public choice theory - Schools of public choice theory 2) The role of government in the economy - Allocative inefficiency and market failure - Effect of government on economic activity, size and efficiency of government 3) Elections and Electoral Systems (I) - Classical, non-classical and economic theories of democracy - Rational Choice Theory in public choice, rational ignorance and rational irrationality 4) Elections and Electoral Systems (II) - Social Choice Theory in Public Choice - Voting rules and alternative decision-making mechanisms 5) Political-economic cycle - Political-economic cycles and their macroeconomic consequences 6) Political-budget cycle - Political-budget cycles, inferior effects of budget deficits and government debt 7) Lobbying, interest groups and rent-seeking - Lobbying and interest groups, the logic of collective action - Politics as a mode of redistribution, economic theory of regulation 8) Theory of Bureaucracy - Traditional and economic theory of bureaucracy - Rational behaviour of bureaucracy, legislative control of bureaucracy 9) Constitutional political economy - Social contracts - Constitutional reforms 10) Alternative approaches to the role of the state (I) - Dictatorship and democracy 11) Alternative Approaches to the Role of the State (II) - The Austrian School and anarcho-capitalism 12) Behavioral to public choice theory - Behavioral approaches, the role of irrationality in public policy making 13-14) Experimental approaches to the study of public choice - Experiment (Economic Classroom Experiment)

Conditions for subject completion

Part-time form (validity from: 2019/2020 Winter semester)
Task nameType of taskMax. number of points
(act. for subtasks)
Min. number of pointsMax. počet pokusů
Examination Examination 100  51 3
Mandatory attendence participation: not defined

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Conditions for subject completion and attendance at the exercises within ISP:

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Occurrence in study plans

Academic yearProgrammeBranch/spec.Spec.ZaměřeníFormStudy language Tut. centreYearWSType of duty
2024/2025 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2024/2025 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2024/2025 (N0312A050001) Public Economics and Administration K Czech Ostrava 2 Compulsory study plan
2023/2024 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2023/2024 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2023/2024 (N0312A050001) Public Economics and Administration K Czech Ostrava 2 Compulsory study plan
2022/2023 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2022/2023 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2022/2023 (N0312A050001) Public Economics and Administration K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2021/2022 (N0312A050001) Public Economics and Administration K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2021/2022 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2021/2022 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2020/2021 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2020/2021 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2019/2020 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S02) Economic Development K Czech Ostrava Choice-compulsory type B study plan
2019/2020 (N0311A050012) Applied economics (S01) International Economic Relations K Czech Ostrava 1 Choice-compulsory type B study plan

Occurrence in special blocks

Block nameAcademic yearForm of studyStudy language YearWSType of blockBlock owner

Assessment of instruction



2023/2024 Winter