ABSTRACT
This chapter is a description of canons of public choice analysis that are relevant for the study of international organizations. It aims to outline the common ground public choice analysis shares with political science and to identify the areas where a public choice study may differ from an international relations study. The economic effects of policies implemented through an international agreement depend on how the agreement changes the incentives of participants in the marketplace. Several additional considerations are especially relevant to the study of international agreements. Public choice analysis of international agreements shares common ground with international relations. Whether the distinctive attributes of a public choice analysis are useful depends on the purpose of a study and the type of international agreement studied. Agreement among governments need not be translated automatically into achievement of policy objectives. Both presumably share an interest in interpreting within the context of their theoretical framework the policies actually implemented under international agreements.
