Political connections between firms and autocratic regimes are not secret and often even publicly displayed in many developing economies. We argue that tying a firm's available rent to a regime’s survival acts as a credible commitment forcing entrepreneurs to support the government and to...

Schriftliche Fassung eines Vortrages anlässlich der Tagung zum Thema "Deregulierung und Privatisierung: Erfahrungen Problem-Potentiale" des Wirtschaftspolitischen Ausschusses des Vereins für Socialpolitik vom 27.-29.03.2001 an der Universität St. Gallen, St. Gallen, CH.

Conventional wisdom holds that international trade agreements can be used as external pressures and credible commitments to overcome opposition and lock in domestic economic reforms. This belief, however, underestimates the ability of politicians to use international trade agreements to leverage...