Explaining Self-Interested Behavior of Public-Spirited Policymakers

Public choice theory (PCT) has had a powerful influence on political science and, to a lesser extent, on public administration. Based on the premise that public officials are rational maximizers of their own utility, PCT has a quite successful record of correctly predicting governmental decisions and policies. This success is puzzling, given behavioral findings that show that officials do not necessarily seek to maximize their own utility. Drawing on recent advances in behavioral ethics (BE), this article offers a new behavioral foundation for PCT’s predictions, by delineating the psychological processes that lead well-intentioned people to violate moral and social norms. It reviews the relevant findings of BE, analyzes their theoretical and policy implications for officials’ decision-making, and sets an agenda for future research