This short chapter, written for The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics and the Law (1998), offers an economic analysis of quasi contracts, in their broad, civil-law definition. All quasi-contractual exchanges can be seen as coerced transactions between private parties, either in the form of...

This article explores the different and sometimes conflicting explanations of the success of the collective enterprises (town-village-enterprise) in China during the first phase of transition (1979-1995). It is argued that explanations, relying on cultural variables are not sustainable and this...