Democratic Political Decision-making Cost - Benefit Analysis

The paper analyzes the process of the political policy decision according to the logic of economic man hypothesis applying for political process. Political man is self-profited and rational, and always employs the analysis of cost-gain when he makes policy decision. Minimizing political cost and maximizing political gain are rational anticipation and essential aim. In order to maximize the gain and understand the principle of political man's behaviors, we should not only consider diversified factors of costs and gains, but also the relationship of political cost-gain. The paper analyzes the relating factors: scale, time, information, experimentation, organization, harmony, corruption and ideology. In democratic politics, political policy decision is restricted by the essential demands of limiting the decision men's power and protecting people's rights. But, political man produces the incline of abusing power based on cost-gain analysis so as to destroy people's rights and oppose the democratic politics. It is beneficial to reduce political costs and increase political gains to advance the quality of the political policy decision and make it scientific, democratic and legal. The former is ultimate aim of making decision; the later is basic task and inner demand of socialism market economy in china. The researches that how we accelerate the scientific, democratic and legal paces of policy decision and how we advance the quality of policy decision are important theoretically and practically when we construct socialism market economy and push the reform of political system at present.