The incentive effects of property taxes on local governments
AbstractThis paper applies the ideas of Brennan and Buchanan (1977, 1978, 1980) to local property taxes. When local governments maximize their revenues, property taxes provide incentives for adequate...
View ArticleSelf-imposed term limits
AbstractIn “Reconciling voters' behavior with legislative term limits,” Dick and Lott argue that since more senior representatives are better at rent-seeking, there is an inefficient tendency to...
View Articleeconomic approach to crime and punishment
AbstractCrime, particularly violent non-financial crime, appears to be among the least rational of all human activities. The mind of the murderer or the rapist seems so distant to many of us that...
View ArticleCities, regions and the decline of transport costs
Abstract.The theoretical framework of urban and regional economics is built on transportation costs for manufactured goods. But over the twentieth century, the costs of moving these goods have declined...
View ArticleCities, regions and the decline of transport costs
AbstractThe theoretical framework of urban and regional economics is built on transportation costs for manufactured goods. But over the twentieth century, the costs of moving these goods have declined...
View ArticleDo Institutions Cause Growth?
AbstractWe revisit the debate over whether political institutions cause economic growth, or whether, alternatively, growth and human capital accumulation lead to institutional improvement. We find that...
View ArticleWhy does democracy need education?
AbstractAcross countries, education and democracy are highly correlated. We motivate empirically and then model a causal mechanism explaining this correlation. In our model, schooling teaches people to...
View ArticleIntroduction to Argentine exceptionalism
AbstractThis article is an introduction to the special collection on Argentine Exceptionalism. First, we discuss why the case of Argentina is generally regarded as exceptional: the country was among...
View ArticleYet another tale of two cities: Buenos Aires and Chicago
AbstractBuenos Aires and Chicago grew during the nineteenth century for remarkably similar reasons. Both cities were conduits for moving meat and grain from fertile hinterlands to eastern markets....
View ArticleThe Macroeconomic Implications of Housing Supply Restrictions
AbstractHousing supply restrictions, including historic preservation policies, minimum lot sizes and height limitations, are typically approached with static Pigouvian tools, but these policies also...
View ArticleUrbanization and Its Discontents
AbstractAmerican cities have experienced a remarkable renaissance over the past 40 years, but in recent years, cities have experienced considerable discontent. Anger about high housing prices and...
View Article
