The aim of this article is to survey the huge literature that has emerged in the last four
decades following Nordhaus's (Rev Econ Stud 42 (2): 169–190, 1975) publication on …

▪ Abstract Policy makers in democracies have strong partisan and electoral incentives
regarding the amount, nature, and timing of economic-policy activity. Given these incentives …

Prior to elections, governments (at all levels) frequently undertake a consumption binge.
Taxes are cut, transfers are raised, and government spending is distorted towards highly …

This book represents a considerable revision and expansion of Public Choice II (1989). As
in the previous additions, all of the major topics of public choice are covered. These include …

A central problem of representative democracy is how to ensure that policy decisions are
responsive to the interests or preferences of citizens. The US Constitution deals with the …

As recently as the early 1970s, the news media was one of the most respected institutions in
the United States. Yet by the 1990s, this trust had all but evaporated. Why has confidence in …

The relationship between political and economic cycles is one of the most widely studied
topics in political economics. This book examines how electoral laws, the timing of elections …

Does a government's fate at the ballot box hinge on the state of the economy? Is it inflation,
unemployment, or income that makes the difference? What triggers economic voting for or …

Research on the political business cycle since the mid-1970s is surveyed and assessed. We
argue that models based on monetary surprises as the driving force are unconvincing …

We investigate the effects of fiscal transparency and political polarization on the prevalence
of electoral cycles in fiscal balance. While some recent political economy literature on …