Abstract
The institutions discussed in the previous chapter function to reduce the
number of policy options. In most cases they leave political actors with
only two choices. For instance, a committee system operating under a
closed rule gives the parent legislature a choice of either the committee’s
proposal or the status quo. Similarly, exercise of the veto or the presi
dential power of appointment leaves the assembly with a choice be
tween the presidential or legislative preference. When there are only
two choices between which political actors may select, a majority will
clearly emerge around one. In this chapter we consider rational-choice
approaches for studying political situations in which there are more than
two options and no majority forms around any one of them. As in the
previous chapter, institutions remain fundamental to these rational-choice
approaches.