Rational Choice

Rational choice theory is perhaps one of the best known methodological approaches to the explanation of individual action. Individuals are a unit of analysis at which to study society, but it should be remembered that society is not just made up of a large number of individuals, but contains groups and organizations and so any general sociological theory should be able to explain how social structures come into being and how they are maintained. Rational choice theory explains how human beings behave, but there are some limitations of the theory.

Rational choice theory is based on the idea that individuals act for a particular purpose, that is to maximize their utility. In its simplest form rational choice theory states that given a number of options people do what they believe is likely to have the best overall outcome. In the field of political science, rational choice theory is used. Rational choice theorists argue that the study of political analysis need not necessarily include every detail of political information, such as dates, names and places, but that an alternative view can offer a distinctive insight into the nature of political life. One of the central assumptions made by rational choice theorists is that every human being is driven by self interest and logically calculates his or her moves in order to maximize their own interests. The theory is individualistic in that it views the world as being composed of just individuals and their personal and economic objectives such as aiming to obtain more money, a bigger house, a better job etc. The theorists argue that politics begins with the behavior in individuals. According to them, groups do not act; policies are not made by governments but by people in certain positions who are motivated by their own agenda. It is this belief that the theorists believe can offer a more profound insight into politics. The theory assumes that every individual knows what they desire and are able to rationally consider all options before deciding on the best course of action to achieve their desires.

Rational choice theory explains behavior as a response to interests, but theory need not be so narrowly restricted. In its more general form, it explains behavior as the product of preferences, which can cover virtually anything from values to interests. For example, holding all else constant, you might prefer to a higher income. But you might prefer a lower income with peace to a higher income in a state of war, even if your safety and livelihood are not at risk in the war. However, interests seem to be adequate to explain behavior, often because other values are not at stake in the behavior to be explained or because they are substantially less important than interests. Rational choice theory is commonly most compelling in which interests are predominant. In part, this is because interests can often be more systematically imputed to relevant actors than can other values, although this is not always true. Even when we might suppose other values are very important, however, we might also suppose that analyzing the force of interests gives us a clear base line for then coming to understanding the import or weight of these other values in explaining behavior.

However, in order to provide a rational choice explanation of an action, it must satisfy requirements.