Political Power and Economic Policy: Theory, Analysis, and Empirical Applications

This book analyzes the links between political economics, governance structures, and the distribution of political power in economic policy making. The book theoretically explains and empirically quantifies these interactions. The analysis includes both public good policies and redistributive policies. Part 1 of the book presents the conceptual foundations of political-economic bargaining and interest group analysis. After presenting the underlying theory, Part 2 of the book examines ideology, prescription, and political power coefficients; Part 3 analyzes a number of specific structures; and Part 4 presents a framework for political econometrics with a number of empirical applications and testable hypotheses. In all four parts of the book, four analytical dimensions of public policy are distinguished: governance structures, political economy, mechanism design, and incidence.