This dissertation contains four independent chapters. Chapter 1 analyzes the impact of vertical integration on quality provision. Chapter 2 seeks to explain the pervasiveness of uncoordinated corruption. Chapter 3 proposes a theory of political agency. Chapter 4 is an inquiry into the...

This thesis develops and applies three different frameworks to analyse monetary policy from a theoretical and empirical perspective within three self-contained chapters. Chapter 2 looks at optimal monetary policy in the modern micro-founded New Keynesian macroeconomic model, while chapter 3...

This dissertation analyzes the importance of institutions for economic performance. The first two chapters assess the importance of institutions empirically, while the last one provides a dynamic model of institutional change. Chapter 1 analyzes the robustness of institutions in growth...

This dissertation is composed of three self-contained essays on strategic interactions under incomplete contracting. Chapter 1 considers the evolution of reciprocal preferences in a setting where individuals live in separate groups. Chapter 2 analyzes the costs and benefits of a separation of...