Personal reflections on the influence of Buchanan, Tullock, and the Calculus of Consent

Abstract

I appreciate having the opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Calculus of Consent and to reflect on its impact on me and my research. Several of the issues that shaped my research since I was a graduate student at the University of Virginia (1962–1965) can be traced to ideas found in the Calculus of Consent and to the writings of James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock. As someone who "was there," I am aware of possible connections that might not be well recognized between the work of Buchanan and Tullock and several large and modern topics. The reader might be surprised by some of the fields that can be connected to their research. The impact on me can be discussed as three separate areas: voting theory, social choice theory, and experimental methods. Of course, the blame for my wandering within those broad areas cannot be shifted, but the blame for the approach and patterns of thought that brought me to the areas can be located in the ideas and writings of Buchanan and Tullock.

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