Graduate Study in Public Choice
The School of Social Sciences at UCI offers a concentration
in Public Choice within both the Ph.D. Program in Economics and
the Ph.D. Program in Political Science. The concentration is
administered in conjunction with the Focused Research Program
in Public Choice. Public Choice is an interdisciplinary field,
at the intersection of political science and economics, which
draws on sophisticated quantitative tools to model the functioning
of political institutions. Public Choice examines such areas as
theories of voter and party choice; the theory of constitutions;
the theory of committees and elections; models of regulation;
problems of public goods and externalities; rent-seeking models;
and issues in social choice, social welfare and demand revelation.
The Program
An Interdisciplinary concentration. Students begin the
program by taking a year-long core course in Public Choice which
is taught jointly by faculty from the
Department of Economics
and of Politics and Society. In addition, more specialized courses
on public choice and political economy are offered by Economics and
Politics faculty as well as by faculty in the
Department of Philosophy.
Specialized training in decision theory and in research methods is
available from faculty associated with the Irvine Research Unit in
Mathematical Behavioral Sciences,
headed by Professor Duncan Luce.
An emphasis on empirical research. The program is characterized
bby a distinctive commitment to empirical work and a strong emphasis on
testable models. Students will train in applied microeconomics and
econometrics, a major area of strength of the Department of Economics,
and are encouraged to participate in ongoing faculty research projects
as part of their doctoral training.
Cross-national research opportunities. Students have the
opportunity to engage in cross-national research with UCI faculty and
European scholars associated with UCI. These activities are coordinated
through the Global Peace and Conflict Studies.
A lively research environment. In addition to colloquia and
seminars each year, the Research Program in Public Choice organizes at
least one major conference attracting leading scholars from the U.S. and
elsewhere. Recent conferences have been on topics such as "Legislative
Term Limits," "Race and Electoral Politics," and "Electoral Reform in
Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Alabama."
Financial Support
UCI offers financial support comparable to that offered at other major
universities. The majority of graduate students in the School of Social
Sciences receive some financial support, primarily in the form of
teaching assistantships. Regents' and UCI Chancellor's fellowships
(non-teaching) are awarded to students who show superior promise. The
Graduate and Professional Opportunity Program offers financial support
to traditionally underrepresented minorities and women in certain fields.
In addition, Public Choice students are eligible for special Scaife
Foundation summer research assistantships and for other sources of
extramural research funding.
Graduate Program in Political Science.
Department of Politics and Society Home Page.