Chapter 16: Public Goods and Public Choice
35. If voters realize that they have but a tiny possibility of influencing public choices, they:
adopt a stance of rational ignorance.
prefer direct democracy over representative democracy.
engage in rent seeking activities.
tend to understate their true valuation of public goods.
36. As information and the time required to acquire and digest it are scarce, _____.
consumers concentrate on private choices rather than on public choices
consumers concentrate on public choices rather than on private choices
it is irrational for consumers to remain ignorant of the costs and benefits of government proposals
voters elect representatives, who always make public choices that reflect constituents’ views
voters have a special economic interest in making informed decisions about public choices
37. Generally, people are more satisfied with private market outcomes than with public voting outcomes because:
each consumer in the private market can choose the quantity he or she desires.
the marginal utility of the last unit of private good is always positive.
the prices of private goods are lower than those of public goods.
the utility derived from the consumption of private goods is higher than that from public goods.
there are too many choices to make in the public sector.
38. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) provides checklists that summarize the voting and attendance
records of legislators. Which of the following is true?
If AARP’s members were rational, AARP would not have to do this.
This policy is intended to seek special favors from the governmental bureaucracy.
This policy is intended to reduce voters’ rational ignorance by decreasing the cost of information.
This policy is intended to maximize political support for AARP among non-members.
This policy is intended to track all market activity that goes unreported either to evade taxes or because the
activity itself is illegal.
39. As a result of voters’ rational ignorance, _____.
the outcome of majority rule focuses on the preferences of the median voter
voters elect representatives, who make public choices that reflect constituents’ views
political candidates try to get elected by appealing to the median voter
special interests often dominate legislation
less production gets reported
40. Many eligible voters who do vote do not keep track of the performance records of candidates for public office. This is