Pranab Bardhan is Professor of Economics at University of California, Berkeley, and co-chair of the MacArthur Foundation- funded Network on the Effects of Inequality on Economic Performance. He is Chief Editor of the "Journal of Development Economics," has contributed numerous journal articles, and has written or edited 15 books, including "The Role of Governance in Economic Development: A Political Economy Approach" (1997), "Development Microeconomics" (with Christopher Udry, 2000), and the two-volume "Readings in Development Microeconomics" (with Christopher Udry, 2000).