Economics serving society

The economic approach to public governance by Jean-François Laslier

In this editorial, Jean-François Laslier explores the close links between economics and politics, two disciplines often considered distinct. Through analysis and concrete examples, he shows how economic concepts can inform public governance mechanisms, electoral strategies and citizens’ behaviour. This rational and methodical approach highlights the issues that shape our contemporary political systems. Find out how the economy can help to decipher electoral dynamics and open up new perspectives on public governance issues.

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Jean-François Laslier is a researcher at the CNRS, and worked at the University of Cergy-Pontoise, Caltech and Polytechnique before joining the Paris School of Economics. His work is mainly concerned with the theory of collective choices and he teaches the “economic theory of democracy”.
His current research is at the interface of Political Science and Behavioral Economics. They focus on electoral behaviour, addressed by observation (laboratory and field experiments) and theory (social choice theory, game theory).

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Barrera O., Guriev S., Henry E. & Zhuravskaya E., 2020, "Facts, alternative facts, and fact checking in times of post-truth politics", Journal of Public Economics, 182:104123.

Brams S. J. & Fishburn P. C., 1983, Approval Voting, Bâle, Birkhauser.

Cagé J. & Piketty T., 2023, Une histoire du conflit politique, Paris, Editions du Seuil.

Casella A., 2012, Storable Votes: Protecting the Minority Voice, New York: Oxford University Press.

Casella A. & Macé A., 2021, "Does VoteTrading Improve Welfare?", Annual Review of Economics 13: 57-86.

Downs A., 1957, An Economic Theory of Democracy, Harper, New York.

Green D. P. & Shapiro I., 1994, Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory, A Critique of Applications in Political Science, Yale University Press, New Haven.

Igersheim H., Baujard A. & Laslier J.-F., 2016, "La question du vote. Expérimentations en laboratoire et In Situ.", L’actualité économique 92(1-2) : 151–189.

Laslier J.-F., 2004, Le vote et la règle majoritaire. Analyse mathématique de la politique, Paris: CNRS Editions.

Laslier J.-F., 2019, Voter Autrement : le recours à l’évaluation, Paris, CEPREMAP, Editions Rue d’Ulm.

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