This paper studies the effects of power-concentrating institutions on the quality of political selection, i.e., the … voters' capacity to identify and empower well-suited politicians. In our model, candidates are heterogeneous in two … arises. We find that power-concentrating institutions amplify this selection problem as they increase electoral stakes and …

motivation. In particular, full concentration of power is desirable if and only if politicians are mostly welfare-oriented. The …This paper studies the effects of power-concentrating institutions on the quality of political selection, i.e., the … voters' capacity to identify and empower competent politicians. In our model, candidates are privately informed about their …

The paper explores how elites can develop capacity for collective agency through coordination. Elites' challenge is to … simultaneously deter the state from abusing power while at the same time relying on it to discipline defectors in their midst. The … basic insight holds that the credibility of the state’s threats depends on the cost of carrying them out, which elites can …

political power and thus have more power to lose if their home municipality cooperates are more likely oppose inter …

resolving preference conflicts across individuals, politicians place substantially more importance on least-favored than on most …" which insists that choices merit intervention only if the lure of immediacy may bias intertemporal choice. Politicians' and …