This article develops a theoretical model and employs recent state-level data on highway finance to assess the consequences of using highway levies for non-highway purposes. It examines whether states that divert some of their highway-related levies to fund general government services spend...

This survey focuses on government efforts to curb the use of undesirable goods, notably tobacco products. We synthesize the economics literature and examine the effectiveness of government curbs on tobacco consumption through non-price controls "such as bans on cigarette advertising, health...

This paper adds to the extant literature by using cross-country data for about 100 nations to examine the role of historical factors, geographic influences and the government on corruption. Important innovations include considering a wide set of historical, geographical and government...

This research adds to the literature on the nexus between government and corruption by examining further the influence of government decentralization on corruption. Previous research has focused primarily on fiscal decentralization. We bring additional evidence to bear for the United States by...

This paper examines the political and economic underpinnings of gasoline tax policy. The theoretical model extends the earlier work of Hettich and Winer (1988) to flush out the effect of a change in the pre-tax price of a taxable activity on the politically optimal tax rate. Using a large...

Corruption, which remains a serious problem in many countries, has prompted considerable research in recent years. This paper adds to the extant literature with insights on factors influencing corrupt activity. Using cross-country data for about 100 nations, the roles of national history,...

Using a well-known index of corruption, this paper examines the determinants of corruption for a large sample of countries. Specifically, the present study brings empirical evidence to bear on the question of whether economic freedom or political freedom serves as a deterrent to corrupt...

This article uses pooled data over the period 2004--2007 on about 100 nations to examine the impact of the shadow economy on the piracy of computer software. Results support the main hypothesis that a larger shadow economy leads to higher rates of software piracy. This claim is supported by...