How and whether judges should be held accountable is a key issue in the design of a legalsystem. Thirty-seven of the forty-eight continental states use some method of judicial selectionwhich involves a direct role for citizens in selecting or re-appointing the judiciary. We identifytwo...

This paper uses data on elected village councils in South India to examinethe political economy of public resource allocation. We find that the patternof policy-making reflects politicians' self-interest. Elected councillors benefit from improved personal access to public resources. In addition,...

This paper studies determinants of MPs expense claims in Parlia-ment using the data released under the freedom of information act in2004. Using a multiple regression framework, we correlate expenseswith three sets of variables: constituency characteristics, party a¢ l-iation and individual...

This paper develops an approach to political equilibrium in a two-party setting. The approach characterizes political resource allocationas trading o¤ the utility of core party supporters and swing voters,i.e. those who are not attached to either party. The model has threestages. First parties...

This paper explores the consequences of creating and improvingproperty rights so that …xed assets can be used as collateral. Thishas become a cause célèbre of Hernando de Soto whose views areinfluential in debates about policy reform concerning property rights.Hence, we refer to the economic...

This lecture is not in any sense a survey of the …field. It is a highlyselective and personal view of the motivation behind the fi…eld and some ofthe key themes that link the literature. Thus, it represents a manifestopresented in the hope that somebody who encounters these ideas for the...

A key issue in political economy concerns the accountability structures put in place to select public officials. While the principle that legislators are to be elected is now a defining feature of modern democracies, there are some offices where a plurality of selection methods survive. A key...

One of the key goals of political economy is to understand how in-stitutional arrangements shape policy outcomes. This paper studiesa comparatively neglected aspect of this - the forces that shape het-erogeneous performance of autocracies. The paper develops a simpletheoretical model of...

Mass media can play a key role in enabling citizens to monitor the actions of incumbents and to use this information in their voting decisions. Thiscan lead to government which is more accountable and responsive to itscitizens’ needs. In spite of the intuitive plausibility of the proposition,...

The determinants of government responsiveness to its citizens is a key issue in politicaleconomy. Here, we develop a model based on the solution of political agency problems.Having a more informed and politically active electorate strengthens incentives for governmentsto be responsive. This...