Politics in Time: History, Institutions, and Social Analysis

Perhaps the rational choice approach is the most coherent approach to analyzing human behavior. This approach, which is based on the knowledge of the microeconomics in particular and on the economy as a whole, assumes that humans are rational beings and, according to their information portfolio, make a decision that optimizes their utility. Now, in different people, what is in the utility function can be different, but in general, everyone seeks to maximize their desirability. Although this framework was initially restricted to the field of economics and economic behavior, it gradually expanded economists and claimed that they could explain social, political, and even legal phenomena based on this approach. The tool used to do this was naturally a game theory that considered people's attitudes in the social arena to be strategic.
The first critique of this approach was posed by psychologists who questioned the assumption of rationality. These psychologists in the decision-making psychology branch, later known as behavioral and behavioral economics, showed that humans face intense biases in their decisions and choices, which could lead to systematic diversion of choices and decisions from choices and optimal decisions.