Individual decision-making forms the basis for nearly all of microeconomic analysis. These notes outline the standard economic model of rational choice in decisionmaking. In the standard view, rational choice is defined to mean the process of determining what options are available and then choosing the most preferred one according to some consistent criterion. In a certain sense, this rational ...

Although rational choice theory has made considerable advances in other social sciences, its progress in sociology has been limited. Some sociologists’ reservations about rational choice arise from a misunderstanding of the theory. The first part of this essay therefore introduces rational choice as a general theoretical perspective, or family of theories, which explains social outcomes by cons...

The purpose of rational choice theory is to explain social phenomena by assuming rational choice at the actor’s level. To realize this purpose, the theory assumes two mechanisms: choice by actors and the macro–micro–macro transition. After explaining these mechanisms, this article first shows how rational choice theory successfully explains the problem of social order embodied in various fields...