Formal Models of Domestic Politics offers the first unified and accessible treatment of canonical and important new formal models of domestic politics. Intended for students in political science and economics who have already taken a course in game theory, the text covers eight classes of models: electoral competition under certainty and uncertainty, special interest politics, veto players, delegation, coalitions, political agency and regime change. Political economists, comparativists and Americanists alike will find models here central to their research interests. The text assumes no mathematical knowledge beyond basic calculus, with an emphasis placed on clarity of presentation. Political scientists will appreciate the simplification of economic environments to focus on the political logic of models; economists will discover many important models of politics published outside of their discipline; and both instructors and students will value the numerous classroom-tested exercises.

“Progress in political science has long been held back by the absence of advanced textbooks that show how technical tools are actually used. Scott Gehlbach has done a real service to the field, producing the ideal book to guide students over the terrain that separates a standard game theory course from the research frontier in applied formal theory.” – Scott Ashworth, Associate Professor, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago

“My expectation is that Scott Gehlbach’s Formal Models of Domestic Politics will become the standard text for courses in positive political economy housed in political science departments. My hope, given the clarity of exposition and the engaging examples of the principles in the exercises, is that this text will make such courses more stimulating and spur a new interest in positive theory in our discipline as a complement to the econometric revolution.” – David D. Laitin, James T. Watkins IV and Elise V. Watkins Professor of Political Science, Stanford University

“Gehlbach’s text is masterful. It is especially useful in a one- or two-semester formal theory sequence in graduate political science programs, covering all the relevant bases of domestic politics in American and comparative settings. It is one of the most complete expositions of the formal modeling literature available.” – Kenneth A. Shepsle, George Markham Professor of Government, Harvard University

“Gehlbach provides outstanding coverage of formal models of political institutions. He does an excellent job of paring complicated theories down to their essence and explaining their key elements. The exercises are particularly well-crafted. This is an impressive book – a valuable resource for both economists and political scientists.” – Kenneth Shotts, David S. and Ann M. Barlow Professor of Political Economy, Stanford Graduate School of Business

“As the age of globalization has demonstrated, democracy spreads faster than do advances in theoretical political science. Scott Gehlbach’s book, a concise introduction to modern political theory, helps to close the gap by covering not only standard models of democratic politics but models of regime change as well. It will be useful for teachers of development and public economics, as modern incarnations of these classic courses require a sound foundation in political economy.” – Konstantin Sonin, Professor of Economics and Vice-Rector, New Economic School, Moscow