This paper analyzes the role of public and private responsibility in the provision of public goods. We emphasize that a typical public good will require many different inputs which raises the possibility of partnerships to exploit comparative advantages of different parties. But hold-up problems...

We develop a theoretical framework to define the comparatively efficient organizational form for dealing with a social issue, based on the market frictions associated with it. Specifically, we argue that for-profits have an advantage in undertaking innovation and coordinating production...

[...]This study shows that tourism did respond positively to the local public amenities built as part ofthe Vision Iowa program. County taxable retail sales rose by 0.9% for every 1% increase in expenditureson the projects. Because the State of Iowa taxes sales at 5% of each additional dollar of...

We use data from over 20,000 firms in 60 countries to identify constraints on the growth offirms. We interpret managers´ answers to survey questions on the extent to which variousaspects of their external environment inhibit the performance of their firm as measuring theshadow cost of...

It has been argued that accountability is a public good that only citizens can provide. Governments can put institutions in place that allow citizens to hold public servants to account, but citizens must participate in those institutions if accountability is to be achieved. Thus, citizens face a...

The rise of the network as a form of economic organization renders problematic our standard understanding of how capitalism is governed. As the governance of production shifts from vertical integration to horizontal contract, a puzzle arises: how do contracts, presumed to be susceptible to...

Herein I outline an alternative theory of contract and contract enforcement. This theory is based upon two claims, one positive and one normative. The first claim is that incomplete contracting theory fails to explain how economic actors govern production in the new economy. Theories of...

Die schnell voranschreitende Entwicklung der Informationstechnik erfaßt - nachdem sie innerhalb der Unternehmen zu erheblichen Veränderungen geführt hat - zusehends unternehmensübergreifende ökonomische Zusammenhänge. Die breite Verfügbarkeit offener Informationsnetze wird in großem...

This paper draws on the policy transfer literature to examine a UK-based initiative topromote supplier diversity and provides insights to three areas neglected in currentresearch. Namely: the dynamics of non-governmental policy transfer; the factors thatmediate policy transfer in different...