This paper studies the mechanisms behind party polarization in the US Congress. The model generates a link between the initial composition of the parties, the behavior of new interest groups and the pattern and level of polarization along the new policy dimension (e.g., environment). Our...

Legislative and regulatory reforms often contain various forms of complexity – multiple contingencies, exemptions and alike. Complexity may be desirable if it better satisfies the needs of diverse political constituencies and if such a benefit is more important than the potential corresponding...

We consider the design of a repeated contest in the presence of a potentially biased judge. Beliefs about the judge’s bias may discourage contestants from exerting effort. In a repeated contest, the identity of a previous winner influences these beliefs. The contest designer is able to commit...