Corruption is thought to prevent poor countries from catching-up. We analyze one channel through which corruption hampers growth: public investment can be distorted in favor of specific types of spending for which rent-seeking is easier and better concealed. To study this distortion, we propose...

We propose a model with some of the main demographic, economic and institutional factors usually considered to matter in the transition to modern growth. We apply our theory to England over the period 1530-1860. We use the model to measure the impact of mortality, population density and...

The Easter Island tragedy has become an allegory for ecological catastrophe and a warning for the future. In the economic literature the collapse is usually attributed to irrational or myopic behaviors in the context of a fragile ecosystem. In this paper we propose an alternative story involving...

First, we briefly discuss the very idea of tradable quotas, looking at a set of cases in which it has been proposed (but not implemented) outside the realm of pollution control and natural resources management. Next we study a proposal of tradable procreation quotas. We generalize Boulding's...

Tradable permits are now widely used to control pollution. We investigate the implications of setting up such a system in another area – population control – either domestically or at the global level. We first generalize the framework with both tradable procreation allowances and tradable...

A comprehensive study of the linkages between demographic and economic variables should not only account for vintage specificity but also incorporate the relevant economic and demographic decisions in a complete optimal control set-up. In this paper, a methodological set-up allowing to reach...