In a model with finitely many agents who have single-dipped Euclidean preferences on a disc in theEuclidean plane, a rule assigns to each profile of reported dips a point of the disc. It is provedthat any strategy-proof and Pareto optimal rule is a dictatorial. This framework models...

In a model with finitely many agents who have single-dipped Euclidean preferences on a polytope inthe Euclidean plane, a rule assigns to each profile of reported dips a point of the polytope. Asingle-best point is a point which is the unique point at maximal distance from some other pointof the...

We characterize all preference profiles at which the approval (voting) rule is manipulable, under three extensions of preferences to sets of alternatives: by comparison of worstalternatives, best alternatives, or by comparison based on stochastic dominance. We perform a similar exercise for...

We characterize all preference profiles at which the approval (voting) rule is manipulable, under three extensions of preferences to sets of alternatives: by comparison of worstalternatives, best alternatives, or by comparison based on stochastic dominance. We perform a similar exercise for...

We study the optimal design of mechanisms for the private provision of public goods in a simplesetting in which donors compete for a prize of commonly known value. The optimal mechanism in thismodel is the lowest-price all-pay auction – a mechanism in which the highest bidder wins but...

In this paper, we compare the cause and effect of immaterial rewards and sanctions oncooperation in a voluntary contributions experiment. We find that both rewards andsanctions increase contributions only when subjects interact repeatedly, though rewardsseem to be more effective than sanctions....

The principle of subsidiarity has become more widely known with its prominent adoption in the Maastricht Treaty. The principle is, however, deeply embedded in the history of political economy, notably in the continental European tradition. In this tradition, it has the status of a principle in...

Bureaucratie en bureaucratisering zijn verschijnselen waardoor zowel moderne overheidsorganisaties als moderne ondernemingen worden geplaagd. Aan de bureaucratische organisatievorm kleven zowel voordelen als nadelen. De nadelen ervan worden in de moderne samenleving echter steeds groter. In dit...

Paper presented at the AEA-Conference in Göteborg, Sweden, 9-11 May 1996 In this paper we discuss the influence of tax shifting on wages and employment. The paper is related to earlier research in this field, both for the Netherlands and for other European welfare states. Our approach differs...

A central finding in happiness research is that a person’s income relative to the average income in her social reference group is more important for her life satisfaction than the absolute level of her income. This dependence of life satisfaction on relative income can be related to the...