Center for the Analysis of Public Choice —CADEP—

James Buchanan, Nobel laureate in economics and holder of an honorary doctorate from UFM, visited the university in 2002 to inaugurate CADEP; founded with the aim of promoting the theory of public choice, an analytical tool that uses economics to study politics. Public choice analyzes state activity and collective decision-making, as well as the individuals who are involved in them: voters, politicians, bureaucrats, interest groups, etc. By using economic methods, the analysis is more realistic as it takes into account the information that people in government have at their disposal—which is not perfect—and the incentives they have to act the way they do. 

CADEP has focused on promoting research on political and economic issues, promotes the theory of public choice, and seeks to spread the values of a society of free and responsible people. To this end, it publishes both articles and research on issues of relevance to Guatemala and the region.