Synopses & Reviews
Competitive Governments systematically explores the hypothesis that governments are internally competitive.
Review
"Breton traverses an impressive array of disciplines and scholars....an optimistic look at the possibility of efficient solutions within the context of current democratic political structures." Choice"...the author is careful and thorough in laying out his arguments, and he challenges the reader to think about topics such as fiscal federalism and intragovernmental competition in a new light. The text is rich with ideas, full of thought provoking discussions and well informed by past work in the field." Thomas J. Nechyba, Journal of Economic Literature"...the book makes interesting and stimulating reading and is likely to be influential in shaping research in the future." Thomas J. Nechyba, Journal od Economic Literature"This book presents many useful insights....everyone should appreciate the novel arguments presented in this book." Donald Wittman, Southern Economic Journal
Table of Contents
Part I. Compound Governments: 1. The conceptual framework; 2. Demand and its revelation; 3. Checks and balances; 4. Budgetary processes; 5. Consent, suffrage, and support; 6. Hierarchy and bureaucracy; Part II. Governmental Systems: 7. A retrospective overview; 8. The organization of governmental systems; 9. Competition, stability and central governments; 10. The world order; Part III. Socio-Political Structures: 11. The size of the non-market sector; 12. The growth of governments; Conclusion; Part IV. Appendices: Appendix A. Long-term budget deficits; Appendix B. The power of 'small' groups; Appendix C. The independence of judiciaries; Appendix D. information and pressure; Appendix E. An empirical Wicksellian connection?; Appendix F. Overlap and duplication; Appendix G. Structure and the stability of Federal states.