(Credit: "Tires" by Jayme del Rosario/Flickr Creative Commons, CC BY 2.0)

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

In this chapter, you will learn about:

• Voter Participation and Costs of Elections

• Special Interest Politics

• Flaws in the Democratic System of Government

Introduction to Public Economy

BRING IT HOME

Chinese Tire Tariffs
Do you know where the tires on your car are made? If they were imported, they may be subject to a tariff (a tax on

imported goods) that could raise the price of your car. What do you think about that tariff? Would you write to your

representative or your senator about it? Would you start a Facebook or Twitter campaign?

Most people are unlikely to fight this kind of tax or even inform themselves about the issue in the first place. In The

Logic of Collective Action(1965), economist Mancur Olson challenged the popular idea that, in a democracy, the

majority view will prevail, and in doing so launched the modern study of public economy, sometimes referred to as
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