Political scientists and economists increasingly agree that institutions may influence economic growth, but there is little general agreement on what institutions tend to produce what consequences. We apply public choice insights for a theoretical analysis that may be termed “Madisonian”:...

Corruption is a major source of slow development in Africa – the poorest region of the world. While extant research has focused on the causes and consequences of corruption at the macro-level, less effort has been devoted to understanding the micro-foundation of corruption, as well as the...

Electoral contests in Latin America are often characterized by attempts by political parties to sway the outcome of elections using vote buying – a practice that seems to persist during elections throughout the region. Much of the literature on this subject focuses on how party machines use...

Vote buying is a form of political clientelism involving pre-electoral transfers of money or material benefits from candidates to voters. Despite the presence of secret ballots, vote buying remains a pervasive during elections in developing countries. While prior literature has focused on how...