Dokuz Eylül University Information Package / Courses Catalog

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code	Course Unit Title	Type Of Course	D	U	L	ECTS
ERA 4606	PUBLIC CHOICE	ELECTIVE	3	0	0	4

Offered By

Public Finance

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

PROFESSOR ASUMAN ALTAY

Offered to

Public Finance
Public Finance

Course Objective

The course provides an overview of positive and normative public choice theory, highlighting work in the economic theory of constitutions, voting rules, bureaucracy, democracy, collective action, dictatorship, the theory of clubs, expressive voting, political business cycles, lobbying, legislative structures, political competition, as well as criticisms of public choice theory.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1	Explaining short run and long run impact of legislative decision making.
2	Evaluating short run and long run impact of legislative decision making.
3	Explaining how voters behave under different voting systems.
4	Evaluating the role and efficacy of various rule structures in society.
5	Discussing the relative merits and demerits of rules.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

HAZIRLIK - FOREIGN LANGUAGE PREPARATION CLASS

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week	Subject	Description
1	Elected Governments
2	The Median Voter and Public Policy
3	Democractic Cycles and Public Policy
4	Elections, Interest Groups, and Public Policy
5	How Efficient is Democracy
6	Classic Interest Group Models: Collective Action, Capture, and Rent Seeking
7	The Logic of Rent Seeking and Rent-Seeking Losses
8	Mid-term exam
9	Mid-term exam
10	Regulation: Public Interests vs Rent-Seekers: Analysis and Evidence
11	International Political Economy: Nations as Interest Groups
12	Political Institutions,
13	Public Policy, and Economic Development
14	Constitutional Reform and Evolution: Gains to Trade in Divided Governments

Recomended or Required Reading

Muller, Dennis, Mueller, D. C. (2003) Public Choice III. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Persson, T. and Tabellini, G. E. (2000) Political Economics: Explaining Economic Policy. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press.
Congleton, R.D. and B. Swedenborg (2006) Democratic Constitutional Design and Public Policy. Cambridge Mass: MIT Press.
Caplan, Brayn, The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lectures

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER	SHORT CODE	LONG CODE	FORMULA
1	MTE	MIDTERM EXAM
2	MTEG	MIDTERM GRADE	MTEG * 1
3	FIN	FINAL EXAM
4	FCGR	FINAL COURSE GRADE	MTEG * 0.40 + FIN * 0.60
5	RST	RESIT
6	FCGR	FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT)	MTEG * 0.40 + RST * 0.60

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Course is discussed theoretically by expression and presentation and subjects are supported by discussions and evaluations

Assessment Criteria

To be announced.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules