Perspectives on Positive Political Economy

• Series editors' preface; Acknowledgements; Editors' introduction James E. Alt and Kenneth A. Shepsle; Part I. The New Political Economy: 1. The emerging discipline of political economy Peter C. Ordeshook; 2. Macropolitical economy in the field of development Robert H. Bates; Part II. Organizations, Transactions, and Opportunities: 3. Bargaining costs, influence costs, and the organization of economic activity Paul Milgrom and John Roberts; 4. Corporate culture and economic theory David M. Kreps; 5. Amenity potential, indivisibilities, and political competition Harold Demsetz; Part III. Reflections on Theoretical Foundations: 6. Political science and rational choice William H. Riker; 7. Institutions and a transaction-cost theory of exchange Douglas C. North; 8. The costs of special privilege Gordon Tullock; 9. Toward a unified view of economics and the other social sciences Mancur Olson; Notes; References; Index.

"Unlike most edited volumes, this works as a collection. There are no clinkers, no weak contributors and no weak contributions....PPE is distinct from both political science and economics, not so much because those disciplines are unable to address the questions of interest, but because they have chosen not to." Michael C. Munger, The Southern Economic Journal