Purpose - Theoretically, the quality of representation is likely to be enhanced when more societal segments are included in formal political structures. An interesting question, however, is whether a similar correlation holds empirically outside established Western democracies. In the 2015...

In studies of government and economics, an important issue is the relationship between the background of political leaders and economic performance. The aim of this paper is to empirically study the relationship between the background of political leaders and capital flight in Africa. Using a...

We present a model in which an imperfectly informed politician chooses between appointing an independent expert, whose advice is revealed to voters, and a loyal expert whose advice can be concealed from voters and who can therefore be blamed for a bad outcome. The politician is privately...