# The Real James Buchanan **URL:** **By** Richard E. Wagner, Trevor Burrus, Aaron Ross Powell **Published:** October 6, 2017 --- Richard E. Wagner joins us for a discussion on life and thought of James M. Buchanan, who was one of the founders of public choice theory. Richard E. Wagner joins us for a discussion on life and thought of James M. Buchanan, who was one of the founders of public choice theory. **Show Notes and Further Reading** Wagner's latest book is [_James M. Buchanan and Liberal Political Economy: A Rational Reconstruction_](https://www.amazon.com/James-Buchanan-Liberal-Political-Economy/dp/1498539068) (2017). A good portion of what we discuss in this episode deals with Nancy MacLean's account of Buchanan in [_Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America_](https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Chains-History-Radical-Stealth/dp/1101980966) (2017). Aaron mentions this article by Lee Fang in _The Intercept_, "[Sphere of Influence: How American Libertarians Are Remaking Latin American Politics](https://theintercept.com/2017/08/09/atlas-network-alejandro-chafuen-libertarian-think-tank-latin-america-brazil/)." Buchanan and Gordon Tullock co-wrote [_The Calculus of Consent: Logical Foundations of Constitutional Democracy_](https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Consent-Foundations-Constitutional-Paperbacks/dp/B01FGLBVY6/) (1962), considered one of the landmark works of public choice theory. Our [other podcast episode with Wagner](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/politics-as-a-peculiar-business-insights-from-a-theory-of-entangled-political-economy) gives a pretty good introduction to public choice theory, but listeners may also be interested in [this episode](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/an-introduction-to-public-choice) on the same topic.