The fifth episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, Public Choice – A Primer by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores how constitutions function as the foundational rules that shape governance and public accountability. It examines why societies need constitutions beyond symbolism, and how constitutional frameworks influence political decision-making and limit government excesses.

Drawing from the chapters The Role of Constitutions and Achievements and Issues, the episode unpacks the economic logic of constitutional rules, the idea of a fiscal constitution, the role of federalism, and the challenges of ensuring accountability within democratic systems.

This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience.

Speaker: Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Economics, St. Albert's College ( Autonomous), Ernakulam

Moderator: Sreelakshmi Harilal, Associate – Research & Projects, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes.

The fourth episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores brings together key insights from Public Choice: A Primer and reflects on how the theory continues to evolve in response to new governance challenges.

Based primarily on Chapter 12 (Current and Future Horizons), the discussion revisits earlier themes, the logic of collective decision-making, voter behaviour, political incentives, and constitutional design to understand how Public Choice theory has expanded from its foundational principles to more complex, interdisciplinary frontiers.

This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience.

Speaker:

Emmanuel Thomas, Assistant Professor, Dept of Economics, St. Thomas’ College, Thrissur

Moderator:

Jofi J Francis, Senior Associate (Project Administration), Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on the economic and political rationale behind governments, the inherent costs and trade-offs in collective decision-making, and how voter behaviour and political incentives shape policy outcomes!

The third episode of the five-part podcast series on the book, "Public Choice – A Primer" by Dr Eamonn Butler, explores how incentives drive political and bureaucratic behaviour, why collective decisions are vulnerable to special interest influence, and how institutional design, as explained by Public Choice Theory, can either mitigate or amplify these distortions.

Drawing from Chapters 5 to 9 of the book, this episode explores how collective decision-making processes are frequently shaped by interest groups, political bargaining, and bureaucratic incentives. It highlights the subtle yet influential ways in which concentrated interests and institutional mechanisms shape policy outcomes—often at the expense of broader public welfare.This podcast series aims to make the ideas of public choice theory more accessible to a wider audience. Speaker:

Kumar Anand, Economist & Public Policy Professional; Senior Fellow, Academy, Centre for Civil Society (CCS), New Delhi

Moderator:

Sreelakshmi Harilal, Associate, Research & Projects, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi, Kerala

Tune in for an insightful conversation on Public Choice Theory and its application in understanding power, interest groups, incentives, as well as institutional, political, and public policy decision-making in democratic systems.