This paper uses data from U.S. states to investigate whether electoral accountability affects economic policy choices. We set up a model in which the possibility of being re-elected may curtail opportunistic behavior by incumbent governors. We find that facing a binding term limit affects...

Public opinion influences politicians, and therefore influences public policy decisions. What are the roles of self-interest, knowledge, and ideology in public opinion formation? And how do people learn about economic issues? Using a new, specially-designed survey, we find that most respondents...

In this paper we analyze empirically the most important implications of two family political economy models of inflation: the "myopic? government approach and the "weak" government approach. In myopic government models inflation is the deliberate outcome of politicians strategic behavior, while...

Einführung -- Einführung -- Allokationstheoretische Grundlagen -- Ziele staatlicher Wirtschaftspolitik -- Allokationstheorie und Wirtschaftspolitik -- Grundlagen der politischen Ökonomie -- Grundmodelle der direkten und der indirekten Demokratie -- Theorie wirtschaftspolitischer Reformen --...

The standard approach to policy-making and advice in economics implicitly or explicitly ignores politics and political economy, and maintains that if possible, any market failure should be rapidly removed. This essay explains why this conclusion may be incorrect; because it ignores politics,...

When a stabilization has significant distributional implications (as in the case of tax increases to eliminate a large budget deficit) different socio-economic groups will attempt to shift the burden of stabilization onto other groups. The process leading to a stabilization becomes a "war of...

While much research in political economy points out the benefits of "limited government," political scientists have long emphasized the problems created in many less developed nations by "weak states," which lack the power to tax and regulate the economy and to withstand the political and social...

In this essay I review the new book by Torsten Persson and Guido Tabellini, The Economic Effects of Constitutions, which investigates the policy and economic consequences of different forms of government and electoral rules. I also take advantage of this opportunity to discuss the advantages and...

The Unidad Popular and the Pinochet Dictatorship covers the two most conflicting Chilean governments of this century. The analysis of the Allende government examines the macroeconomic policies and structural reforms and their results; the questioning of property rights constituted a key issue of...

Die Strategie Dieses Buches -- Methodische Grundlagen -- Wohlfahrtstheoretische Grundlagen -- Marktversagen und Gefangenen-Dilemma -- Kollektive Entscheidungen -- Markt und Wettbewerb -- Die Regulierung NatÜrlicher Monopole -- Externe Effekte, ClubgÜter und Das Allmende-Problem --...