Was Buchanan critical of democracy?
It is a common misconception to view my work as anti-democratic. Rather, I was critical of the *process* of democratic decision-making as it often operated, without proper constitutional constraints. I believed that in the absence of well-defined rules, the pursuit of individual and group interests within a democratic system could lead to inefficient and unsustainable outcomes, particularly concerning government spending and debt, as explored in 'Democracy in Deficit.' My aim was to improve democratic outcomes through better institutional design, not to abolish democracy.
Ask James M. Buchanan the follow-up →