The public choice model assumes that government policy makers

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To tackle this question, I’ll evaluate what the public choice model says about government policy makers and their incentives.
Option 1: "will pursue their self-interests in personal affairs but only if it does not conflict with the public interest." This suggests a constraint that self-interest is always secondary to the public interest when there is any conflict. However, the core claim of public choice theory is that individuals in government pursue self-interest, and this interest often exists even when it conflicts with the public good, rather than being automatically subordinated.
Option 2: "must promote the public interest at the expense of their own self-interests in order to be re-elected." This presents a normative requirement—that self-interest must be sacrificed for reelection—rather than describing typical behavior. Public choice theorists emphasize that policymakers weigh personal gains alongside public gains; they do not operate under an absolute mandate to forsake self-interest for reelection.
Option 3: "will often act irrationally in their personal affairs, but will act rationally when they promote the public interest." This posits a distinction between personal irrationality and public rationality. While some analyses may discuss organisms behaving differently in private vs. public contexts, the public choice framework does not hinge on a sharp dichotomy of rationality between personal and public domains; instead it emphasizes that self-interest drives decision-making across contexts, possibly rendering both arenas self-serving.
Option 4: "are likely to pursue their own self-interests, even if their self-interests conflict with the public interest." This aligns with the central premise of the public choice model: policymakers, like voters and bureaucrats, act as self-interested actors, and conflicts between personal gain and the public good are common. It captures the core skepticism about perfectly aligned incentives and highlights the material incentives that can diverge from social welfare.
Across the options, the theme centers on the interplay between personal incentives and public outcomes. The second and third options introduce assumptions about perfection of public-interest promotion or about rationality that aren’t central claims of the model. The first option imposes a non-conflict constraint that isn’t generally asserted as a universal rule in public choice theory. The fourth option succinctly expresses the standard expectation that self-interest guides policy choices, even when misaligned with public welfare, which is the foundational takeaway.
Thus, the most consistent statement with the public choice model is the one asserting that policymakers pursue their own self-interests even when these conflict with the public interest. This reflects the model’s emphasis on self-interested behavior and incentive-driven outcomes across political actors.

econ_102_120251_245827 Lesson 10 Graded Quiz

The public choice model assumes that government policy makers

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