Rational Choice Theory in Comparative Politics

This article surveys the rational choice theory, through its most influent developments in comparative politics. After surveying the current literature on this topic, it shows how the rational choice theory has taken over comparative politics, using concrete examples. Particularly, this paper focuses on the logic of the explanation provided by such an approach, and on its implementation for comparing institutions and societies. Moreover, it offers some research prospects, underlying how the rational choice approach does not depend on what gave it its name : the assumption of rationality.