Issues in Positive Political Economy

Political economy - the original name for economics in its entirety - has in recent years witnessed a semantic broadening to include some of the preoccupations of classical economics. This intriguing collection of contributed work is concerned mainly with developments in the neo-classical tradition and examines the role played by rational choice in the decision-making processes of firms and the State.With contributions from leading scholars including Tony Addison, Bruno Frey and Alan Rugman, this book is an important addition to the field of Political Economy and should become essential reading for all economists as well as policy makers.

1. S. Mansoob Murshed Introduction2. Bruno S. Frey A Proposal for a New Dynamic Federalism in Europe3. Tony Addison and S. Mansoob Murshed the Economic Causes of Contemporary Civil Wars4. Richard Auty Russia: the Political Economy of Transition in a Mineral Economy5. George Economides, Natasha Miaouli and Apostolis Philippopoulus Electoral Uncertainty, Economic Policy and Growth6. Harvey E. Armstrong and Robert Reid The Importance of Being Unimportant: the Political Economy of Trade and Growth in Small States7. Jagjit S. Chadha Some Observations on Small-Scale Choice of Exchange Rate Regime8. Holger Görg Trade in Fragmented Products: Concepts and Evidence9. J. Borkakoti Technological Innovation: the Prime Cause of International Trade10. Alan Rugman and John Kirton NAFTA, Environmental Regulations and Firm Strategies11. Paola Concini Green and Producer Lobbies: Enemies or Allies?12. Muriel Niederle and Martin Summer Income Tax Enforcement with a Self Interested Auditor