This article analyzes the dynamics of electoral promises towards the population and interest groups, focusing on the reaction of voters to the proximity of a candidate to interests groups. In a two-period electoral competition model, we show that a (re)election seeking politician must consider...

The Economic Freedom of the World (EFW) index measures the extent to which nations allow their citizens economic freedom. The freedom of people to trade internationally is a featured area within the index. One component of this area is the size of the trade sector, or rather the deviation of a...

This paper re-examines the pollution-income relationship using a random coefficients model to allow for greater cross-country heterogeneity. The existence of a common pollution-income relationship across countries is rejected and hence little support for the environmental Kuznets curve is found.

Rapid economic growth in China has resulted in substantially improved household incomes. Diets have also changed, with a movement away from traditional foods and towards animal products and processed foods. Yet micronutrient deficiencies, particularly for calcium and vitamin A, are still...

The joint liability literature claims that positive assortative matching, or risk homogeneity, is always the first best solution. We examine this claim in presence of group formation costs and find that the assertion is not always true.

The comprehensive evaluation of education reforms in developing countries needs the consideration of the 'triangle'' quality-quantity-equity in the short, medium and long term, in a broader context than just the education system itself. There is no simple ‘recipe'' to enhance education,...

The hypothesis that economic freedom and related variables are significant determinants of real per capita income and growth is critically evaluated. Economic freedom is found necessary for higher levels of per capita income and growth largely in terms of threshold effects as opposed to...

We show that Stiglitz's (1974) principal-agency theory of share tenancy does not imply, as alleged, that the optimal tenant share is less than one for risk-averse tenants nor that the share decreases monotonically with tenant risk aversion. Tenants may self insure by working harder increasingly...

Assuming that there exists a preference for luxury goods and a knowledge spillover from luxury goods production to goods production, this paper constructs an endogenous economic growth model. The model predicts two steady states: one is a steady positive growth state with regard to luxury goods...

Goods are often allocated publically by means of queuing processes in developing countries. In such situations, which group of citizens should a corrupt government official favor? In addition, what should be the basis for this favoritism? To the best of our knowledge, these salient questions...