ECON 451: Public Choice
Professor Peter Coughlin


Getting Started


The background readings are:


1) Jerry S. Kelly, Social Choice Theory: An Introduction

[1] From the beginning of Chapter 1 through the exercises on p. 7;

[2] From the beginning of the Mathematical Appendix (on p. 151) through "... is a function." at the end of the 3rd-to-last paragraph on p. 154;

[3] From "Given two statements ... " at the beginning of the first line on p. 155 through "... q are false." at the end of the 2nd paragraph on p. 155.




2) A. Taylor & A. Pacelli, Mathematics and Politics, 2nd edition

[1] From "The general framework ... " in the 11th-to-last line on p. 2 through

"... if there is a tie." at the end of the last full paragraph on p. 3;

[2] The definition of Majority rule near the bottom of p. 4.





The following item is a recommended reading (designed to supplement the background references):

Jonathan K. Hodge & Richard E. Klima, The Mathematics of Voting and Elections, 2nd edition, American Mathematical Society, 2018.

From the beginning of Chapter 1 through the questions on p. 4


These items are available through Course Reserves at ELMS.