ABSTRACT
How does a scene in Jason Bourne provide insight into “politics without romance” as described by public choice economics? How do incentives, self-interest, and subjective choice help us understand the decisions of policy makers, private actors, and elected officials as well as predict their consequences? This chapter explores this question and more through pivotal scenes in movies such as Jason Bourne, War Dogs, Miss Sloane, Lincoln, Darkest Hour, the Divergent trilogy, and Deepwater Horizon. These movies highlight actions that are common in policy making such as crony capitalism, but also illustrate how public policy and political systems set up incentives for elected officials to pursue their own self-interest through rent seeking, exploiting moral hazards, and reforming coalitions to achieve specific ends. An examination of the top-ranked political films reveals that few of their story lines or plots focus on the machinery of government. Instead, they follow the standard tropes of corruption in government and reflect a general cynicism about how government operates. This chapter shows how the insights of public choice economics could provide more depth, and more opportunities for conflict, to movies by showing how the economic way of thinking creates a more dynamic political environment.
