Instructor: Robin D. Hanson, Assoc. Professor, Economics (rhanson@gmu.edu, http://hanson.gmu.edu)
Office Hours: Officially Tuesday 4:30-7p. But I'm usually in at 10A Carow Hall. Call ahead (703-993-2326) if you want to be sure.

Catalog Entry:

Econ 410 Public Choice (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ECON 306 or permission of instructor. Applies economic theory, methodology to study nonmarket decision making.

Gary J. Miller, Mangerial Dilemnas,Cambridge, 1993,ISBN 9780521457699, ~$30

Mancur Olson, Logic of Collective Action Trilateral, 1971, ISBN 9780674537514, ~$25.

Machiavelli, Prince & Other Writings, 2003, ISBN 9781593080600, ~$6.

Dennis Mueller, Public Choice III, 3rd Edition, Cambridge, 2003, ISBN 9780674537514, ~$53.

Gain familiarity with basic facts and issues in the economics of law, and an ability to use basic economics to argue for particular legal outcomes.

• Class Participation Please contribute to class discussions.
• Quizes Three in-class quizes will given. Each quiz will emphasize the lectures and text readings since the previous quiz. Quizes are open book, open notes.
• Defended Opinions Three times you will write a defense of your opinions on a legal topic. The assigned topics will be unusual, in order to encourage you to think them through yourself, rather than looking up what others have said.

1. Should a boat pulling team's manager task be rotated among team members or assigned to a specialist?
2. Should regulation of hair dressers be done at the federal, state, or municipal level?
3. Should voters be allowed to elect any one or thing they like to any office?

• Quizzes: Feb 23, Mar 23, Apr 20
• Defended Opinions: Mar 23, Apr 20, May 4
• Final: 6:45-8:45p, May 8

Disability Notice

This page is on web at http://hanson.gmu.edu/EC415F09.html