Rational Choice Theory

Rational Choice Theory - Factbites
Where results make sense
About us | Why use us? | Reviews | PR | Contact us

Topic: Rational Choice Theory

Note: these results are not from the primary (high quality) database.

In the News (Sun 15 Nov 09)

Northern Trust

Marvin Harrison

Peter Chernin

Gary Locke

Match Play

Penelope Cruz

Mickey Rourke

AR Rahman

Danny Boyle

Hugh Jackman

	Rational choice theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Rational choice theory is a way of looking at deliberations between a number of potential courses of action, in which "rationality" of one form or another is used either to decide which course of action would be the best to take, or to predict which course of action actually will be taken.
		For a long time, a popular strain of critique was a lack of empirical basis, but experimental economics and experimental game theory have largely changed that critique (although they have added other critiques, mainly by demonstrating some human behavior that consistently deviates from rational choice theory).
		Various researchers have found some limits to this theory, under the name of bounded rationality, an element used for example in behavioral economics.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Rational_choice_theory (516 words)

	Rational choice theory (criminology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Thus, Rational Choice Theory focuses on prevention as a deterrent to crime rather than punishment, and the modern exponents differ from the Classical School by making allowances for factors such as morality, inaccurate information, and fear.
		This is one of the main theories of environmental criminology as an aspect of Crime Prevention Theory.
		In particular, it assumes that the rational decision is always the decision that will maximise gain and minimise pain for each individual: the felicitation principle that underpinned the penal policy of deterrence.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Rational_choice_theory_(criminology) (1177 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		Rational choice theory adopts a methodological individualist position and attempts to explain all social phenomena in terms of the rational calculations made by self-interested individuals.
		Rational choice theorists have incorporated collective action into their theories by requiring that the actions of groups and organisations be reducible to statements about the actions of individuals.
		Rational choice theories hold that individuals must anticipate the outcomes of alternative courses of action and calculate that which will be best for them.
	privatewww.essex.ac.uk /~scottj/socscot7.htm (5064 words)

	Melberg, Hans O. (1993), Three arguments about rational choice in sociology
		That rational choice models are useful in explaining social exchange in the sense that the choice of action in an interactive situation is often governed by attempted maximization according to aims.
		These conditions enable rational choice to generate cooperation because in a world of uncertainty one might believe that the other individual will deviate from their selfish rational strategy to free ride (also uncertainty about when he repetitions will stop makes the game approximately similar to infinite games in which cooperation is generated).
		Rational choice can explain why a person who aims at rebellion will colour his hair green (maximization of aim), but it cannot explain why green hair is a symbol - a meaning - of deviance since this is taken as given.
	www.geocities.com /hmelberg/papers/930520.htm (2346 words)

	AcademicDB - Rational choice theory
		The Rational theorist would argue that each individual in the TU joined to protect their own personal interests such as improved pay, and they perceived the best way to achieve their goals was through membership of the organisation.
		Rational theorists argue that nobody actively seeks or desires the common good, or at least the few that do are so few as to be insignificant.
		A Rational theorist would argue that it is the perks of being in the military, such as a good career opportunity, job security, and good pay prospects that are the incentive to join up, rather than the patriotic desire to serve Queen and country.
	www.academicdb.com /rational_choice_theory_1320 (314 words)

	Essay or Coursework - A discussion of rational choice theory
		The first is that rational choice theory is a sociological theory used as a tool for explanatory analysis of social action and interaction.
		It is argued by many sociological theorists, and as the title of this essay questions, rational choice theory fails to explain irrational action by actors, and in doing so poses serious doubts as to the validity of this theory.
		In rational choice explanations as actually practised by social scientists, the focus is almost totally on the optimality conditions, because the goal is normally not to explain individual action, but the behaviour of large numbers of people in similar external situations.
	www.coursework.info /i/12442.html (819 words)

	Human Rational Behavior and Economic Rationality
		A broader theory posits that the second type of rational behavior is not reducible to the first, rejecting thus the typical reductionism of a narrow rational choice theory that dissolves everything into utility and egoism.
		In the preceding I have detected and discussed the peculiar conception of rational behavior in what is putatively rational choice theory in both economics and sociology, and advanced a corrective in the form of a broader definition and conceptualization of rational behavior as both instrumental, economic or individual and non-instrumental, extra-economic or social.
		On this account, one may even suggest that an adequate rational choice theory in sociology can be built only by transcending the stringency of the assumptions of the economic approach (Willer 1992).
	www.sociology.org /content/vol7.2/02_zafirovski.html (11781 words)

	Notes on Exchange Theory and Rational Choice Theory
		In rational choice theory the emphasis is on Coleman’s question, "Why do rational actors create obligations?" or any of the other things they create; Hechter’s interest is in why rational actors create forms of organizations that yield "goods".
		What matters most in filling in your idea of rational choice theory is Hechter’s idea that "individual preferences must be aggregated into a collective design" (308a) in order to generate public goods in particular, and I’d say in order to sustain social life as anything worth that name.
		Coleman and Hechter’s "rational actor" has a good deal of resemblance to the actor in Homans’ social behaviorism, but rational choice theorists are more interested in the emergence and persistence of meso-scale organizations.
	www.ucalgary.ca /~frank/exchange.html (3487 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		One branch of RCT theory is analytical Marxism or rational choice Marxism (RCM).
		One difficulty with RCT is that this may sound good in theory, but it is very difficult to estimate such costs, especially with great uncertainty as to the future of the children or the parents.
		Much of the detailed work of RCM is economic theory, with an examination of labour, capital, surplus value, and e xploitation.
	uregina.ca /~gingrich/f1000.htm (7479 words)

	Rational choice
		Rational choice theory had a revival in sociology in the early 1960s, under the heading of exchange theory, and by the end of the decade was having a renewed influence in criminology, first as control theory and later as routine activities theory.
		Rational choice theory emphasizes the role of enlightened self-interest in individual decision-making.
		As with control theory, the focus is less the criminal justice system than the informal systems of social control that grow out of our everyday relationships with other people.
	www.d.umn.edu /~bmork/2306/Theories/BAMratchoice.htm (889 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		Emergent social phenomena that arise from rational choices constitute a set of parameters for subsequent rational choices of individuals
		Emergent social phenomena -- social structures, collective decisions, and collective behavior -- are ultimately the result of rational choices made by utility-maximizing individuals.
		(Jonathan Turner 1991, The Structure of Sociological Theory, p.
	choo.fis.utoronto.ca /FIS/Courses/LIS2149/RatChoice.html (112 words)

	Choice Theory
		All rational choice sociologists subscribe to some form of methodological individualism, holding that a theory must begin by stating how a social system affects the options available to individuals, and then the theory must build back up to the macro level by describing how individual choices "aggregate" to impact a system-level variable like economic development.
		Paternoster, R. and Simpson, S. "A Rational Choice Theory of Corporate Crime." In R. Clarke and M. Felson (eds.) Advances in Criminological Theory, Vol.
		Rational choice models assume that the range of alternatives open to actors is constrained by the environment or by institutions within which they make their decisions.
	faculty.ncwc.edu /toconnor/301/301lect02a.htm (3486 words)

	Rational Choice Theory (RCT)
		Rational Choice Theory (RCT) by Cornish and Clarke (1986) is the theoretical foundation on which Situational Crime Prevention (SCP) stands.
		Cornish, D. and Clarke, R.V. Understanding Crime Displacement: An application of Rational Choice Theory.
		RCT views offending behaviour as involving decision making and the making of choices, which are constrained by time, cognitive ability and information, resulting in a 'limited' rather than a 'normal' rationality for the offender.
	www.crimereduction.gov.uk /learningzone/rct.htm (360 words)

	BA 513: Ph.D. Seminar in Choice Theory
		By "rational choice" I mean the theory of the expected-utility-maximizing, equilibrium-seeking individual that originated in statistical decision theory and economics and has spread to many other disciplines over the last five decades.
		Alternative perspectives on choice theory: radical subjectivism, Austrian economics, bounded rationality, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.
		rational choice reading list that includes some of the assigned readings and a great deal more.
	faculty.fuqua.duke.edu /~rnau/choice (863 words)

	'Rational choice theory' focus of event
		Although rational choice theory has been extensively debated in the social sciences—particularly in the fields of economics, psychology, sociology and political theory—its relation to the humanities has been considered only relatively recently, said David Palumbo-Liu, professor of comparative literature and director of the Program in Modern Thought and Literature.
		By bringing together scholars from the social sciences with humanities scholars from disciplines including comparative literature, philosophy and history to discuss rational choice theory, the conference will provide opportunities to pose questions that might not otherwise be asked, Palumbo-Liu said.
		Elster is considered a leading interpreter of rational choice theory.
	news-service.stanford.edu /news/2005/april13/choice-041305.html (301 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		The rational choice theory is designed to explain actions performed by individuals as part of a group working toward a common, collective good.
		The assumption about rationality made by the theory limits observers to distinguish between those that are inclined to participate simply because they believe in social justice and those that participate because they weigh their costs and benefits.
		The problem with the theory is that it makes it impossible to conclude that all individuals are rational because it assumes that they are.
	web.grinnell.edu /courses/pol/S00/POL256-01/wto/theory.html (577 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		However, it is important to note that the rational-choice theory is flawed in that it does not require verification of the validity of the premise of the puzzle, in this case the given existing threat of weapons of mass destruction.
		The Rational Choice Theory provides a methodology for assessing decision-making by using empirical evidence to understand revision and choice, and thus rationalize the inferences and conclusions made.
		Unaided intuitive judgment is subject to the lack of adherence to normative principles of rational choice.
	www-personal.umich.edu /~lmasri/rational_choice_theory.htm (3155 words)

	The Social Dilemmas
		Rational Choice Theory is concerned with the decisions a rational individual should make in an individual or collective environment and is the basis for Social and Public choice theories.
		Some links on the net: Hans O. Melberg's essay on "Three arguments about rational choice theory in sociology", an introduction to Public Choice Theory by Allan Barton, and a list of Jon Elster's many papers, books, etc., on the subject.
		It turns out that the "rationally" best choice of the individual is to "free-ride" if she can share in the group rewards regardless of her contribution.
	perspicuity.net /sd/sd.html (5426 words)

	HANS ALBERT ON RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY
		This means that they produced a generalized theory of achievement motivation of which the theory about the influence of Protestant ethics on motivation is a special case.
		Nevertheless, despite this, he tried to develop a theory of motivation, that is applied to interesting situations in social science and makes explanation possible.
		If, for example, you read Schumpeter's theory of economic development.
	www.eeng.dcu.ie /~tkpw/newsletter/v4n1-2/node9.html (1544 words)

	North Korean Decision Making and Rational Choice Theory
		Rational Choice Theory helps answer the question: Why does North Korea commit over 25% of its GNP to military outlays while continuing to ignore the plight of its citizens.
		If Rational Choice Theory allowed us to set long-term utility as the ultimate goal of any action, then we could conclude that Kim Jong-il is indeed low on the rheostat of rationality.
		Analyzing the rationality of North Korean behavior requires one to first determine the values of that regime and to then assess whether or not the actions taken to maintain the objectives and needs related to those values provide maximum utility.
	www-personal.umich.edu /~rtanter/F97PS472PAPERS/KLEIMAN.AARON.DPRK.HTML (3180 words)

	Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory
		Positivist research on the external (social, psychological, and biological) "causes" of crime focused attention on the factors that impose upon and constrain the rational choice of individual actors.
		An understanding of personal choice is commonly based in a conception of rationality or rational choice.
		Retributive Theory and Just Desert: Simply put, if criminals and deviants choose to engage in their disruptive and threatening behaviors, they deserve to be punished.
	www.umsl.edu /~rkeel/200/ratchoc.html (1371 words)

	Threaded Discussion: Rational-Choice Theory and Violence
		See new lecture notes on Rational-Choice Theory and Crime Prevention.
		Since the situation in which violence occurs is most often informal, the highest level of affect will be present, suggesting that rational choice is less likely to intervene than it might at the technical level.
		My interpretation of her statements on p.25 would be that by rational in this instance she probably means "common sensical." If the other guy is bigger than you and stronger than you then it doesn't make sense to aggress openly against him.
	www.csudh.edu /dearhabermas/crimthrd03.htm (518 words)

	Rational Choice Theory - Margaret S. Archer - Jonathan Q. Tritter - Microsoft Reader eBook
		Rational Choice Theory is flourishing in sociology and is increasingly influential in other disciplines.
		Rational Choice Theory - Margaret S. Archer - Jonathan Q. Tritter - Microsoft Reader eBook
		rationality: the theory's definition of rationality is incomplete, and cannot satisfactorily incorporate norms and emotions
	www.ebookmall.com /ebook/72950-ebook.htm (858 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		Rational choice theory provides a ``black box" approach to human behavior and attempts to discover those conditions that facilitate the emergence of cooperative behavior.
		- from James Coleman's The Foundations of Social Theory 1990
		Interaction and social organization revolve around transactions between those who have and those who seek resources.
	cs.wwc.edu /~aabyan/Articles/CEthics/node9.html (223 words)

	EconLog, The Debate, Bryan Caplan: Library of Economics and Liberty
		But if you look closely, he doesn't really have a rational choice theory of religion; he has a rational choice theory of group membership.
		But if by rational you mean following the rules of logic and reason, you can't argue that Isaac Newtown, CS Lewis, Mortimer Adler, Francis Schaeffer and many others are irrational, whether you find their reasoning persuasive or not.
		Yes, in the same way that modern science tests theories: You create models of how the world would look and work if the assumptions are true, then you compare the known world with the models.
	econlog.econlib.org /archives/2005/11/the_debate.html (2182 words)

	Rational Choice Theory (syllabus)
		This question is the fundamental question of rational choice theory, and this course examines the main concepts and principles normally used to answer it.
		The primary texts are Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction, by Michael Allingham, and Choices: An Introduction to Decision Theory, by Michael D. Resnik.
		The first part of the course is devoted to individual decision theory, in which we imagine an agent choosing essentially in isolation from other agents (as in the case of an agent choosing which of several possible books to read or choosing which of several possible stocks to buy).
	www.ku.edu /~utile/courses/rct1/syllabus.html (1335 words)

	Rational Choice Theory and the Humanities
		His areas of interest include theories of justice, democratic theory, rational choice theory, and the philosophy of the social sciences.
		Among these fields have been the theory of social choice, general economic equilibrium, the economics of information, inventory analysis, the economics of medical care, the consequences of market failure, the measurement of environmental impacts, and the impact of social interactions on economic behavior.
		Her writings on feminist theory and economics, and on the empirical study of household behavior, have appeared in many leading journals in economics (including Econometrica, American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and Journal of Economic Perspectives), as well as in journals and edited volumes related to women's studies, philosophy, and sociology.
	www.stanford.edu /group/RCTandHumanities/speakers (2917 words)

	Rational Choice Theory
		The Rational Choice Theory is upheld by many conservatives who view juvenile delinquency from an individual-based perspective.
		"They argue that in many (if not most) cases, deviance is a result of highly rational calculation of risks and awards.
		There values are different than adults (and in many cases their values have not developed/formed fully yet), and there motives may be different than an adult criminal.
	www.skidmore.edu /academics/english/courses/en205d/student7/choicer.html (174 words)

	SOC 290
		"New Institutionalism and Rational Choice Theory." Pp.3-14 in The Institutional Construction of Organizations, edited by Richard W. Scott and Soren Christensen.
		Rational Choice, Oxford: Basil Blackwell [T. and K. develops a theory of how people actually make decisions.]
		But it is useful seeing how such diverse topics as trust, social capital, norms or collective behavior can be addressed within the rational choice paradigm.
	weber.ucsd.edu /~aronatas/SOC29098.html (1168 words)

	Who's who and what's what in the history of rational choice theory
		Who's who and what's what in the history of rational choice theory, broadly defined
		Theory of uncertainty and information (another good who's-who list)
		Ragnar A.K. Subjective probability and expected utility theory:
	faculty.fuqua.duke.edu /~rnau/choice/whoswho.htm (192 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)

Topic: Rational Choice Theory

Ads by Google

Related Topics

In the News (Sun 15 Nov 09)