The importance of primary elections is considered within the context of U.S. Senate elections where senators serve overlapping terms and voters are assumed to balance their two senators against each other. Voters behave strategically in the primaries but convergence to the median position is not...

We argue that social polarization reduces the security of property and contract rights and, through this channel, reduces growth. The first hypothesis is supported by cross-country evidence indicating that polarization in the form of income inequality, land inequality, and ethnic tensions is...

Presenting evidence from additional data sources, this study confirms the finding that the use of voter registration lists for jury selection purposes significantly reduces registration rates. Further, evidence is provided for the first time that a large percentage of Americans are aware that...

Olson (1982) and Putnam (1993) provide sharply conflicting perspectives on the impact of private associations on economic well-being and social conflict. Olson (1982) emphasized their propensity to act as special interest groups that lobby for preferential policies, imposing disproportionate...

Presenting evidence from additional data sources, this study confirms the finding that the use of voter registration lists for jury selection purposes significantly reduces registration rates. Further, evidence is provided for the first time that a large percentage of Americans are aware that...