New Working Papers
On the Faustian Dynamics of Policy and Political Power (with Jinhui H. Bai) (2008)
This paper examines the Faustian dynamics of policy and power. We posit a general class...
Communication and Learning (with Luca Anderlini and Dino Gerardi) (2008)
We study the intergenerational accumulation of knowledge in an infinite-horizon model of communication. Each in...
Markov Equilibrium in Models of Dynamic Endogenous Political Institutions, Revised (2008)
This paper examines existence of Markov equilibria in a class of infinite horizon games in...
The Dynamic Stability and Reform of Political Institutions, Revised (2008)
When are political institutions stable? When do they tend toward reform? This paper examines a...
Social Memory and Evidence from the Past (with Luca Anderlini and Dino Gerardi), Cowles Foundation Discussion Paper 1601-Revised (2007)
This paper examines an equilibrium model of social memory — a society’s vicarious beliefs about...
Markov Perfect Equilibria in Repeated Asynchronous Choice Games (with Hans Haller) (2006)
This paper examines the issue of multiplicity of Markov Perfect equilibria in alternating move repeated...
Recent Publications
On the Size and Structure of Group Cooperation (with Matthew Haag), Journal of Economic Theory (2007)
When time preferences are heterogeneous and bounded away from one, how “much” cooperation can be...
Social Conflict and Gradual Political Succession: An Illustrative Model," (with William Jack), Scandinavian Journal of Economics (2007)
This paper studies the evolution of political institutions in the face of conflict. We examine...
A `Super Folk Theorem' in Dynastic Repeated Games (with Luca Anderlini and Dino Gerardi), Economic Theory (2007)
We analyze dynastic repeated games. These are repeated games in which the stage game is...
Dynamic Enfranchisement (with William Jack), Journal of Public Economics (2006)
Why would a political elite voluntarily dilute its political power by extending the voting franchise?...
Social Norms, Local Interaction, and Neighborhood Planning (with Matthew Haag), International Economic Review (2006)
This article examines optimal social linkage when each individual's repeated interaction with each of his...
Credible Communication in Dynastic Government , Journal of Public Economics (2006)
This paper studies information disclosure in a model of dynastic government. When information about past...