This article is concerned with the nature of the contracting relationship, in local authorities. After considering some of the implications of a basic model elf contracting (principal-agent theory) and questioning some of its implications, we briefly examine whether the Compulsory Competitive...

I model sequential decisions over multiple interconnected propositions and investigate path-dependence in such decisions. The propositions and their interconnections are represented in propositional logic. A sequential decision process is path-dependent if its outcome depends on the order in...

To overcome the problem of insufficient research and development (R&D) on vaccines for diseases concentrated in low-income countries, sponsors could commit to purchase viable vaccines if and when they are developed. One or more sponsors would commit to a minimum price that would be paid per...

Legislators trade influence to attain approval of their most preferred bills. The classical example is found in pork barrel politics with concentrated benefits and diffuse costs where logrolling agreements involving two (or more) legislators can load costs onto legislators excluded from the...

In Conflict Resolution situations where two parties with opposed preferences need to make a number of decisions simultaneously,we propose a simple mechanism that endows agents with a certain number of votes that can be distributed freely across issues. Its novelty, and appeal, is that it allows...

In this paper we analyze the interaction of income and preference heterogeneity in a political economy framework. We ask whether the presence of preference heterogeneity (arising, for example, from different ethnic groups or geographic locations) affects the ability of the poor to extract...

In this paper we examine the main challenges in promoting an effective market economy. While the paper ranges widely across the spectrum of economic institutions and policies, the central theme is the importance of macroeconomic stability for economic growth in the medium and long run....

This article explores the formation of public organizations''domain perception', that is, their internal interpretation and external articulation of their role and its boundaries. The analysis is based on non-participant observation research of the UK Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), and...

Debates about the appropriate mix between autonomy and accountability of bureaucrats are relevant to numerous areas of government action. I examine whether there is evidence of a tradeoff between transparency, democratic accountability, and the gains from monetary delegation. I begin by...

In Conflict Resolution situations where two parties with opposed preferences need to make a number of decisions simultaneously, we propose a simple mechanism that endows agents with a certain number of votes that can be distributed freely across issues. This mechanism allows parties to trade off...