Constitutional Democracy systematically examines how the basic constitutional structure of governments affects what they can accomplish. This relationship is especially important at a time when Americans are increasingly disillusioned about government's fundamental ability to reach solutions for domestic problems, and when countries in the former Soviet block and around the world are rewriting their constitutions. Political economist Mueller illuminates the links between the structure of democratic government and the outcomes it achieves by drawing comparisons between the American...

We define our conscious experience by constructing narratives about ourselves and the people with whom we interact. Narrative pervades our lives--conscious experience is not merely linked to the number and variety of personal stories we construct with each other within a cultural frame, but is subsumed by them. The claim, however, that narrative constructions are essential to conscious experience is not useful or informative unless we can also begin to provide a distinct, organized, and empirically consistent explanation for narrative in relation to consciousness. Understanding the role of...

What are the determinants of company performance? This book explores this question, providing a balanced assessment of new and old approaches to industrial organization.

This book reviews the theory of the firm and the large modern corporation. Examining the process of entrepreneurial capitalism in which firms come into existence, then managerial capitalism and the changing motives of management in corporations - "The Corporation" is a thorough and thoughtful account. Of interest to students and academics in the area, this book will also prove to be an intriguing read for professionals.

This book reviews the theory of the firm and the large modern corporation. Examining the process of entrepreneurial capitalism in which firms come into existence, then managerial capitalism and the changing motives of management in corporations - The Corporation is a thorough and thoughtful account. Of interest to students and academics in the area, this book will also prove to be an intriguing read for professionals.

Do company profits eventually converge on a common, competitive level? How long does the convergence process take? This book seeks to answer these questions through a comparison of company profitability using time series data compiled at the firm level and at the industry level in Canada, France, Japan, Sweden, West Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The emphasis is on long run, dynamic processes and the perspective is that of Joseph Schumpeter, with profits converging if at all to competitive levels only in the long run. The basic methodology of the book is presented in one...

Public choice or rational politics differs from other approaches to the study of political behavior in that it builds on models in which rational individuals seek to advance their own interests. This five-part volume surveys the main ideas and contributions of the field. It contains twenty-five essays written by thirty scholars, both economists and political scientists, from North America and Europe. The contributors cover topics such as the nature and justification for the existence of government, the properties of different voting rules, and electoral politics in two-party governments.

This book represents a considerable revision and expansion of Public Choice II (1989). As in the previous editions, all of the major topics of public choice are covered. These include: why the state exists, voting rules, federalism, the theory of clubs, two-party and multiparty electoral systems, rent seeking, bureaucracy, interest groups, dictatorship, the size of government, voter participation, and political business cycles. Normative issues in public choice are also examined. The book is suitable for upper level courses in economics dealing with politics, and political science courses...

Profits in the Long Run asks two questions: Are there persistent differences in profitability across firms? If so, what accounts for them? This book answers these questions using data for the 1000 largest US manufacturing firms in 1950 and 1972. It finds that there are persistent differences in profitability and market power across large US companies. Companies with persistently high profits are found to have high market shares and sell differentiated products. Mergers do not result in synergistic increases in profitability, but they do have an averaging effect. Companies with above normal...

Joseph Schumpeter oscillated in his view about the type of economic system that was most conducive to growth. In his 1911 treatise, Schumpeter argued that a more decentralized and turbulent industry structure where the pro cess of creative destruction was triggered by vigorous entrepreneurial ac tivity was the engine of economic growth. But by 1942 Schumpeter had modified his theory, arguing instead that a more centralized and stable industry structure was more conducive to growth. According to Schum peter (1942, p. 132), under the managed economy there was little room for entrepreneurship...