This book – the second of two volumes- looks at episodes in American economic history from a public choice perspective. Each chapter discusses citizens, special interests, and government officials responding to economic incentives in both markets and politics. In doing so, the book provides fresh insights into important periods of American history, from the First Nationalist Movement of 1783 to the perpetual renewal of the Federal Reserve in 1927. This volume features the work of prominent economic historians such as Hugh Rockoff; well-known public choice scholars such as Joshua Hall and J.R. Clark; and younger scholars such as Marcus Witcher and Zachary Gocenour. This book will be useful for researchers and students interested in economics, history, political science, economic history, public choice, and political economy.
Table of Content
Chapter 1: An Economic Analysis of the First Nationalist Movement of 1783.- Chapter 2: The Political Economy of the Arbitration Act of 1888.- Chapter 3: After Johnny Came Marching Home: The Political Economy of Veterans’ Benefits in the 19th Century.- Chapter 4:Partisanship and Electoral Reform: Change in Congressional Cohesion, 1877-1932.- Chapter 5: The Political Economy of Bank Entry Restrictions.- Chapter 6: The Political Economy of the Chinese Exclusion Act.- Chapter 7: Immigrant Ethnic Composition and the Adoption of Women’s Suffrage in the United States.- Chapter 8: The Economics and Politics of the Unit Banking: Evidence from the Mc Fadden Banking Bill of 1927.
About the author
Joshua C. Hall is an associate professor of economics at West Virginia University and Director of the Center for Free Enterprise within the College of Business and Economics. He earned his bachelor and master degrees in economics from Ohio University and his Ph.D. from West Virginia University in 2007. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was the Elbert H. Neese, Jr. Professor of Economics at Beloit College and an Economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. Hall is a past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. In addition to being a co-author on the widely-cited Economic Freedom of the World annual report, he is author of over 100 academic journal articles.
Marcus M. Witcher is a postdoctoral professor of history at West Virginia University. He earned his bachelor degree in history with a minor in economics from the University of Central Arkansas. He then received his masters and Ph D in history from the University of Alabama. Marcus is currently revising his book manuscript Getting Right with Reagan: Conservatives and the Fortieth President, 1980-2016. He has published four peer-reviewed articles, six book reviews, and has presented his work at over ten academic conferences