We analyze the economic consequences of strategic delegation of the right to decide between public or private provision of a governmental service and/or the authority to negotiate and renegotiate with the chosen service provider. Our model encompasses both bureaucratic delegation from a...

Delegation is a key feature of political decision making: Mayors or prime ministers delegate to subordinates, voters delegate to elected representatives. We analyze the effect of political delegation on public service provision and the choice between private or public providers when contracts...