Rational choice in voting behavior Voter behaviour shifts significantly thanks to rational theory, which is ingrained in human nature, the most significant of which occurs when there are times of economic trouble. An example in economic policy, economist Anthony Downs concluded that a high income voter ‘votes for whatever party he believes would provide him with the highest utility income from government action’,Anthony Downs (1957). "An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy", Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 135–150 using rational choice theory to explain people's income as their justification for their preferred tax rate.
Rational choice in voting behavior Voter behaviour shifts significantly thanks to rational theory, which is ingrained in human nature, the most significant of which occurs when there are times of economic trouble. An example in economic policy, economist Anthony Downs concluded that a high income voter ‘votes for whatever party he believes would provide him with the highest utility income from government action’,Anthony Downs (1957). "An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy", Journal of Political Economy Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 135–150 using rational choice theory to explain people's income as their justification for their preferred tax rate.