Public trust in government to promote the general interest has declined sharply since the early 1960s. Almost all those commenting on the trend see it as detrimental to government's ability to perform. We recognize that up to some level, trust does improve government performance, but beyond that...

This authoritative and encyclopaedic reference work provides a thorough account of the public choice approach to economics and politics. The Companion breaks new ground by joining together the most important issues in the field in a single comprehensive volume. It contains state-of-the-art...

The most important cost of saving lives can be that it increases the number of people who die. An interesting case in point concerns government attempts to rescue mountain climbers on Mt. McKinley. Here government agencies are caught in Gordon Tullock's "transitional gains trap." Rescue policy...

One controversial aspect of the current Social Security system has been the relative distribution of its net costs and benefits between employers and workers. Using simple supply and demand analysis, we demonstrate that proponents and opponents of the current system are making arguments that...