Today, we’re continuing our series on AFEE presentations at the 2021 ASSA meeting with Dr. Luke Petach, who presented his paper “Whose State and Whose Economy? Buchanan, Samuels, and the Positive Theory of Public Choice.”
Abstract: This paper revisits the debate between James Buchanan and Warren Samuels over Miller, et al. v. Schoene (1928). The initial court case—concerning the rights of government in the face of conflicting private interests—and subsequent debate between Buchanan and Samuels have important implications for the interrelations between legal and economic processes, the difference between a normative and positive theory of public choice, and the nature of public choice more generally. In published papers and private correspondence, the writings of Samuels reveal an alternative conception of public choice theory as a positive endeavor divorced from the free market normative implications of Buchanan’s work. Application of Samuels’ framework for public choice to rent seeking, the Coase Theorem, and income redistribution illustrate its continued relevance for political economy.
The paper can be read here and the PowerPoint can be viewed below.
Did you present a paper at the 2021 ASSA conference? Please submit your abstract, video recording, paper, and/or PowerPoint presentation to afeesmc@gmail.com to be highlighted on our blog!