Policy Analysis and Public Choice: Selected Papers by William A. Niskanen.

• Author: HOLCOMBE, RANDALL G.
• Position: Review

Policy Analysis and Public Choice: Selected Papers by William A. Niskanen

By William A. Niskanen

Cheltenham, Eng.: Edward Elgar, 1998. Pp. ix, 430.

William Niskanen's volume of selected papers showcases more than thirty selections from his previously published work, and the collection reveals him to be a thoughtful observer of contemporary government and an insightful public-policy analyst. Niskanen is best known for his 1971 book, Bureaucracy and Representative Government, which he wrote while working at the Institute of Defense Analysis. The first, autobiographical chapter of the book notes that previously he worked at RAND and the Defense Department, and afterward at the Office of Management and Budget, as a professor at Berkeley, at the Ford Motor Company, as a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisors, and as chairman of the Cato Institute, the position he now holds. His career history is relevant to this volume, because his writing on policy issues is grounded on both extensive experience in the policy arena and a firm grasp of economic principles. (He also holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.) This combination of academic training and firsthand knowledge of policy making, along with Niskanen's keen insights, makes each essay in the volume worth reading on its own merits.

After the introductory chapter, the book is divided into two sections: one containing sixteen chapters under the heading of policy analysis, and another with seventeen chapters under the heading of public choice. The policy analysis chapters cover a wide range of topics from defense policy to drug policy to problems with the Washington, D.C., government. Several chapters deal with economic policy during the Reagan administration and offer insights based on Niskanen's firsthand observations. The public-choice chapters also cover a wide range of topics, and like the policy analysis chapters, many benefit from Niskanen's drawing on his firsthand involvement in government. Because of this policy orientation, the public-choice chapters also fall under the broad heading of policy analysis and tend to analyze issues, such as environmental policy, bureaucratic organization, and constitutional design, rather than more theoretical aspects of public choice. Each chapter offers insights, but the mix of topics is so varied that the chapters do not provide the reader much continuity. If the volume has a unifying theme, it is Niskanen's concern...