This paper argues that government quality – operationalized as the ability of government to treat all their citizens in an impartial way – levels the ‘playing field' for economic agents with and without connections to politicians and administrators in government, therefore encouraging...

Why do officials in some countries favor entrenched contractors while others assign public contracts more impartially? According to the research, such variation responds to differences in political institutions, economic development and historical preconditions. This paper instead emphasizes the...