Prologue: origins of the liberal nation state -- The rule of law and the evolution of the common law -- The decline of feudalism and the rise of free labor, private property and the market -- Separation of faith and governance, the rise of literacy, and the emergence of society -- The autonomy...

We develop a political economy model where some politicians have a comparative advantage in undertaking a task and this gives them an electoral advantage. This creates an incentive to underperform in the task in order to maintain their advantage. We interpret the model in the context of fighting...

We develop a political economy model where some politicians have a comparative advantage in undertaking a task and this gives them an electoral advantage. This creates an incentive to underperform in the task in order to maintain their advantage. We interpret the model in the context of fighting...