Elected politicians often choose to delegate competence to various agencies rather than deciding themselves. The paper deals with the apparent paradox that competence is being transferred despite the fact that politicians are assumed to maximize individual utility. The constitutional structure,...

Elected politicians often choose to delegate competence to various agencies rather than deciding themselves. The paper deals with the apparent paradox that competence is being transferred despite the fact that politicians are assumed to maximize individual utility. The constitutional structure,...

Possible policy implications of the New Institutional Economics are dealt with. Before spelling them out, the core questions of this research program as well as its main assumptions and hypotheses are described. Since a familiar reproach toward the New Institutional Economics is its lack of...

Possible policy implications of the New Institutional Economics are dealt with. Before spelling them out, the core questions of this research program as well as its main assumptions and hypotheses are described. Since a familiar reproach toward the New Institutional Economics is its lack of...

Judicial Independence is a crucial aspect of the rule of law and the concept of separation of powers. It gives judges considerable leeway in interpreting - and thereby modifying - the constitution. In this paper, the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as an actor in the strategic game...

It is often argued that governments take advantage of extreme events to expand their power to the detriment of the political opposition and citizens at large. Violations of constitutional constraints are a clear indication of such opportunistic behavior. We study whether natural disasters,...

It is now abundantly clear that social norms channel behavior and impact economic development. This insight leads to the question: How do social norms evolve? This survey examines research that relies on geography to explain the development of social norms, and suggests that religion and family...

Discourse Ethics and Constitutional Economics are usually perceived as normative ventures. Notwithstanding substantial differences, representatives of both programs can agree on the claim that "discourse matters", or rather that "discourse should matter". Representatives of the young research...

Judicial Independence is a crucial aspect of the rule of law and the concept of separation of powers. It gives judges considerable leeway in interpreting - and thereby modifying - the constitution. In this paper, the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as an actor in the strategic game...

The prosecution of criminal suspects is an integral part of a country's justice system. While substantial scholarly attention has been devoted to the study of the police and judges and their relevance to the rule of law, surprisingly little is known about prosecutors. The aim of this paper is to...