The author distinguishes between normative and positive constitutional economics. Taking the observation that the normative branch of the new discipline is much better developed that its positive counterpart as a starting point, the available positive literature is surveyed nevertheless. The...

The economic effects of federalism are unclear: some papers find that federalism has strong positive effects on a number of economically relevant variables, others find negative effects. The results often crucially hinge upon the proxies for federalism used. In this paper, we critically survey...

Criminal investigation and prosecution of politicians, top civil servants and other public figures are topics frequently discussed in the media. The nature of the investigating or prosecuting authority varies between countries – from the general public prosecutor, through magistrates to...