This paper analyzes the standard Neoclassical growth model where agents are heterogeneous in their initial wealth. Wealth can be taxed in order to finance equal lump-sum transfers. We consider a representative democracy where elected officials select the current capital tax by playing a...

In modern democracies, public policies are negotiated among elected policymakers. Yet, most macroeconomic models abstract from post-election negotiation. In order to understand the determinants of redistribution, this paper studies legislative bargaining in a growth model where individuals are...

This paper studies politicians who have a present-bias for spending; they want to increase current spending and procrastinate spending cuts. We argue that legislators' bias is more severe in economies with low institutional quality. We show that disagreement in legislatures leads to policy...

In modern democracies, public policies are negotiated among elected policymakers. Yet, most macroeconomic models abstract from post-election negotiation. In order to understand the determinants of redistribution, this paper studies legislative bargaining in a growth model where individuals are...

This paper studies the differences in firm size distributions between European countries. We start by documenting large differences using the EFIGE database: in the countries under most severe distress in the sample (Italy and Spain) firms are relatively small compared with the remaining...

We evaluate the welfare gains of extending the duration and increasing the replacement ratio of the current unemployment insurance system in US. To this end, we build a general equilibrium overlapping generations model with on the job human capital accumulation. The model is able, among other...

We analyze the process of technological innovation from the perspective of developing countries. Specifically, we explore how developmental and regulatory impediments to the process of resource reallocation and firm renewal limit the ability of developing countries to adopt new technologies....

signal about the fundamental. The rst characteristic implies that the best policy (tax on investment) with commitment is state contingent. The second and third characteristics make the information incomplete. In particular, agents have dierent information sets, and therefore dierent beliefs,...