Rational Choice Politics

The SAGE Library of Political Science collects together the articles that have been most influential in shaping the discipline. Each multi-volume set presents a collection of field-defining published works, both classical and contemporary, sourced from the foremost publications in the discipline by an internationally renowned editor or editorial team. They also include a full introduction, presenting a rationale for the selection and mapping out the past, present and likely future of each area. The series covers both the key approaches to studying the discipline and the primary sub-fields that form the focus of political scientists' work. The SAGE Library of Political Science will be an essential addition for university libraries throughout the world with an interest in Political Science. Torun Dewan is Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the LSE and has taught rational choice for many years. has published widely in rational choice, public administration, urban studies, British and comparative politics as well as political philosophy. He has been co-editor of the Journal of Theoretical Politics for almost a decade. Kenneth A. Shepsle is Professor of Government at Harvard University. He has long been recognized as one of the leading scholars in rational choice theory. His groundbreaking work on the organization of legislatures has been immensely influential as has his more recent work on coalition formation and overlapping generations. He has published widely on US government and is the author of a leading textbook on rational choice. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge all the copyright owners of the material reprinted herein. However, if any copyright owners have not been located and contacted at the time of publication, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.