Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that individual states could not impose term limits on members of Congress If such limits are to prevail at the federal level, a constitutional amendment will be required Arguments against the term limits approach include the fact that term limits automatically remove experienced legislators who could be very effective They also restrict voter choice A second type of reform effort is a proposal that campaigns for seats in Congress be federally funded If candidates did not need to seek funding from special interests, the influence of these groups would wane KEY TAKEAWAYS Public interest theory examines government as an institution that seeks to maximize public well-being or net social benefit It assumes government will seek the efficient solution to market failure problems Public choice theory assumes that individuals engage in rent-seeking behavior by pursuing their self-interest in their dealings with the public sector; they continue to try to maximize utility or profit It may be rational for eligible voters to abstain from voting, according to the public choice theory Public choice theory suggests that politicians seeking reelection will try to appeal to coalitions of special-interest groups TRY IT! Here is a list of possible explanations for government programs and policies In each case, identify whether the explanation reflects the Attributed to Libby Rittenberg and Timothy Tregarthen Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books/ Saylor.org 831