Principles of Politics
A Rational Choice Theory Guide to Politics and Social Justice

Modern rational choice and social justice theories allow scholars to develop new understandings of the foundations and general patterns of politics and political behavior. In this book, Joe Oppenheimer enumerates and justifies the empirical and moral generalizations commonly derived from these theories. In developing these arguments, Oppenheimer gives students a foundational basis of both formal theory and theories of social justice, and their related experimental literatures. He uses empirical findings to evaluate the validity of the claims. This basic survey of the findings of public choice theory for political scientists covers the problems of collective action, institutional structures, citizen well-being and social welfare, regime change and political leadership. Principles of Politics highlights what is universal to all of politics and examines both the empirical problems of political behavior and the normative conundrums of social justice.

Introduction: politics, universals, knowledge claims, and methods; Part I. The Logic of Collective Action: 1. Voluntary contributions and collective action; 2. Going beyond the prisoner dilemma; 3. Collective action applications to and beyond democratic politics; Part II. Collective Choice: 4. Individual to collective choice in one dimensional politics; 5. Individual to collective choice more generally; Part III. Political Institutions and Quality Outcomes: 6. Political necessity and the tethering of leaders; 7. A few institutional pitfalls; Part IV. Social Justice, Choice, and Welfare: 8. The general problem of collective welfare and choice; 9. Voting rules; 10. Social welfare and social justice: a partial integration; Conclusion: 11. Questions and lessons.

Joe Oppenheimer is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland.