The authors examine how institutions that enforce contracts between two parties-producers and consumers-interact in a competitive market with one-sided asymmetric information and productivity shocks. They compare an informal enforcement mechanism, reputation, the efficacy of which is enhanced by...

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Overview -- A Successful Decade with Challenges Ahead -- A Framework for Studying Chronic Poverty -- Measuring Chronic Poverty in the Absence of Longitudinal...