Why did Buchanan focus on constitutional rules?
My focus on constitutional rules stemmed from a desire to establish a stable framework within which self-interested individuals could interact, both in markets and in politics, to their mutual advantage. I argued that the rules of the game matter profoundly. By understanding the incentives created by different constitutional arrangements, we can design systems that constrain opportunistic behavior and promote cooperation. This is about creating the 'rules of the game' rather than just analyzing the outcomes of any given game.
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