This chapter states that institutions and preferences are hopelessly confounded with the world of politics. Starting with data about institutional variation and variation in policy outcomes, it is impossible to make any hard and fast inferences about the impact of institutional features on...

Social, economic, and organizational development require a degree of stable policy making. The instability of group decision making under majority rule has preoccupied social theorists since Condorcet in the late 18th century. In theory, subtle institutional modifications to pure majority rule...

Social and economic development requires some degree of stable policy making. The instability of group decision making under majority rule ahs preoccupied social theorists since Condorcet. In theory, subtle institutional modifications to pure majority rule should induce stability. This paper...