Public Choice Theory Podcast Series (Malayalam)
Public Choice Theory has continually evolved to explain how political decisions are made in real-world settings shaped by incentives, institutions, and information constraints. In this episode of Policy Beyond Politics, titled “Rethinking Public Choice: Lessons and Future Horizons,” the discussion reflects on how the theory has expanded beyond its original foundations to address contemporary governance challenges.
Drawing primarily from Chapter 12 (Current and Future Horizons) of Public Choice: A Primer by Eamonn Butler, the episode revisits key themes explored earlier in the series—collective decision-making, voter behaviour, political incentives, and constitutional design—while examining how Public Choice has adapted to new analytical and institutional contexts.
Evolution of Public Choice Thinking
The episode begins by tracing the intellectual journey of Public Choice theory, from its early rational-choice models that challenged idealised views of government, to later approaches that recognise the role of institutions, norms, and bounded rationality in shaping political outcomes.
New Frontiers in Public Choice
The discussion then turns to second- and third-generation developments, highlighting how game theory, behavioural economics, and empirical methods deepen our understanding of strategic interaction, uncertainty, and information asymmetry in political and institutional decision-making.
Technology, Accountability, and Governance
A key focus is the growing relevance of Public Choice in the digital age. The episode explores how open data, participatory platforms, and AI-enabled accountability tools can help address government failures, improve transparency, and strengthen institutional trust—while also reshaping political incentives.
Public Choice and Civic Learning
The episode concludes by reflecting on the role of Public Choice insights in education and civic awareness. By equipping citizens with tools to understand incentives and trade-offs, the framework encourages more informed engagement with public policy beyond rhetoric and intentions.
About the Podcast:
The fourth episode of the five-part Policy Beyond Politics podcast series, based on the book Public Choice: A Primer by Dr Eamonn Butler, brings together key insights from the text while reflecting on how Public Choice theory continues to evolve in response to emerging governance challenges. Published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), United Kingdom, the series is designed to make Public Choice theory accessible to wider and regional audiences, building on its Malayalam translation to connect academic ideas with everyday political and economic experiences.
Please tune in for an insightful conversation on Public Choice Theory and its application in understanding power, interest groups, incentives, and institutional, political, and public policy decision-making in democratic systems.
KEY DISCUSSION POINTS
- Public Choice theory has evolved across generations to address complex governance challenges
- Institutions, behaviour, and strategic interaction are central to political outcomes
- Technology and data can both mitigate and reshape incentive-driven failures
- Public Choice remains essential for better policy design and civic understanding
Guest: Emmanuel Thomas, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, St. Thomas’ College, Thrissur.
Host: Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate-Project Administration, CPPR.
Click to read the Malayalam-translated eBook of “Public Choice: A Primer” by Dr Eamonn Butler, published by CPPR.
#PolicyBeyondPolitics is also available on
