Measurement of both federalism and decentralization has been contentious. We introduce three new indicators reflecting important aspects of both federalism and decentralization. The three new indicators are the result of principal component analysis. When we try to identify their main...

Frankreich steht vor wichtigen Herausforderungen in der Arbeitsmarkt-, Finanz- und Wirtschaftspolitik. Die Arbeitslosigkeit ist seit vielen Jahren persistent hoch und liegt bei etwa 10 Prozent; die Jugendarbeitslosigkeit sogar bei etwa 25 Prozent. Bei den öffentlichen Finanzen ist dem Land eine...

Die Regierung eines Landes kann sich zum risikolosen Zins verschulden und in den Weltaktienmarkt investieren. Die Aktienerträge werden an die Bürger des Landes in Form einer sozialen Dividende weitergegeben. Welche Effekte hat diese Politik auf die Wohlfahrt der Bürger?

The empirical evidence on the relationship between political decentralization and corruption is far from clear. We develope a model that analizes the relationship between decentralization and corruption and show how cost-benefit calculations can lead public administrations to tolerate a certain...

We model the symbiotic relationship between criminals and a partnership of protection providers - the Firm. In the absence of state authority, insecurity and crime generate a demand for protection. When the protection providers themselves are recruited among criminals, the prospect of graduating...

We study the health effects of the spread of democratic institutions and the extension of voting rights in 15 European countries since the middle of the nineteenth century. We employ both cross country and cohort variation in heights and employ a new instrument for democracy and the extension of...

This paper examines the integration of Chinese Communist Party membership and private entrepreneurship in China after 2002, when the Party revised its constitution and officially removed ideological discrimination against private entrepreneurs. Using six waves of a nationwide survey of privately...

Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über den Themenkomplex "wirtschaftspolitische Governance". Dieser Begriff dient in Volkswirtschaftslehre und benachbarten Sozialwissenschaften als Ober-/Sammelbegriff unter dem üblicherweise alle Aktivitäten subsumiert werden, die wirtschaftspolitische...

This paper argues neoliberalism is engaged in a war against the welfare state. At issue are competing views regarding the size of the welfare state and how it should be organized. In waging this war, neoliberalism seeks to politically discredit the traditional welfare state and change the...

This paper offers a thesis for why the US overtook the UK and other European countries in the 20th century in both aggregate and per capita GDP as a case study of recent models of endogenous growth, where "human capital" is the engine of growth. By human capital we mean an intangible asset, best...