This paper presents an adverse selection model in which progressive taxation enhances productive efficiency by encouraging a principal (buyer) to be less aggressive in contracting with an agent (seller). Wary of padded cost budgets, the buyer employs a hurdle-rate procurement policy. With a low...

Aggregation is commonly associated with loss of information. In contrast, this paper shows that aggregation can actually enhance information down-the-road by deterring information cascades. In particular, when hierarchical tiers forward only aggregate recommendations rather than nitty-gritty...