Applied research often tolerates misspecification in order to reach informative conclusions. We focus on how the degree of misspecification varies with the level of aggregation of data for quasilinear utility models. We present aggregation results formalizing that the model cannot get worse when...

This paper applies the logic of economic calculation to the actions of autocrats. We model autocrats as stationary bandits who use profit and loss calculations to select institutions that maximize their extraction rents. We find in many cases autocrats achieve rent maximization through creating...