Rational Choice Theory

Political Science: Recent Trends Rational Choice Theory

Introduction to Rational Choice Theory

The latest initiative to make political science more self-consciously scientific involves the use of rational choice theory, which attempts to deduce what will happen when individuals are faced with a political situation. The theory borrows from economics the assumption that all individuals are rational egoists. People are assumed to be rational in their capacity to devise, choose, and put into practice effective means to clear ends; they are egoists because the ends in question generally refer to the self-interest of that individual. Rational choice theory can be applied to everything from decisions made by small committees to complex negotiations between governments.

Rational choice theory has proven limited in its ability to predict real-world behavior. For example, rational choice theory cannot explain why intelligent people vote in elections when the chances of their vote being decisive in determining the winner of the election are near zero. Some observers believe that the results of rational choice theory are best thought of as a set of warnings about what would happen if people behaved as rational egoists, rather than an explanation of how the world actually works.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Rational Choice Theory in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Rational Choice Theory