Judicial independence and the reliance on tikanga in New Zealand courts
A Sacred Trust Betrayed
A Sacred Trust Betrayed
03 Nov 2026 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: constitutional law
Sweden government formation 2026
03 Nov 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, politics, Public Choice Tags: Sweden
Since we are all comparativists on this blog, I [Yibo] am comparing Israel to the ongoing Swedish government formation. The 2026 Swedish election was fought clearly between two blocs of four parties each.
Sweden government formation 2026
Measure to reform the California recall process (Yes on 5)
22 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: California, constitutional law
In this November’s election, Californians are presented with a proposed state constitutional amendment to reform the process of recalling and replacing elected officeholders. It was placed on the ballot by the state legislature as Proposition 5. I am in favor, and I urge California voters to support it. Below are some excerpts from the voter […]
Measure to reform the California recall process (Yes on 5)
Update on Canada’s Two Secession Movements
21 Oct 2026 1 Comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics, Public Choice Tags: Canada, economics of succession
Alberta secessionists lost a referendum by a large margin. Quebec secessionists are in better shape, but still facing an uphill struggle.
Update on Canada’s Two Secession Movements
Is Lichtenstein an actual monarchy?
17 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics
It seems so: Internal documents reviewed by the FT show that three days earlier, behind the walls of Vaduz Castle, Europe’s wealthiest ruling dynasty had quietly approved an overhaul that strengthens the authority of a prince who already wields extraordinary power over his 42,000 citizens, while reducing some of the rights and checks exercised by…
Is Lichtenstein an actual monarchy?
Book review: The Narrow Corridor
16 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, growth disasters, growth miracles, history of economic thought, law and economics, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking
My last book review was of Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson’s 2012 book Why Nations Fail. It’s taken me a while (with many interruptions), but I recently finished reading their 2019 book… 731 more words
Book review: The Narrow Corridor
Canada’s First Nations Are Using Their Land To Build Dense Housing
13 Oct 2026 1 Comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, environmental economics, law and economics, property rights, Public Choice, transport economics, urban economics Tags: Canada
Exempt from Vancouver’s building restrictions, Squamish Nation is constructing a 6,000-unit residential high-rise.
Canada’s First Nations Are Using Their Land To Build Dense Housing
Who values democracy?
19 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, econometerics, economic history
This paper examines the conventional view that redistribution is central to the democratization process using data from stock markets. Consistent with this view, democratizations have a large, negative impact on asset valuations driven by a rise in redistribution risk. Across 90 countries over 200 years, risk premia are substantially elevated— similar in magnitude to financial…
Who values democracy?
Andy Burnham, the Premiership, and the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829
12 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, economics of religion, Public Choice Tags: British constitutional law, British politics, Freedom of religion, religious discrimination
Andy Burnham announced today that his constitutional responsibility for advising the Sovereign on ecclesiastical appointments has been transferred to the Lord Chancellor. This was necessary because, as a Roman Catholic, Burnham is barred from tendering this advice by s. 18 of the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. S. 4 of the Jews Relief Act 1858 […]
Andy Burnham, the Premiership, and the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829
Saxony-Anhalt 2026
09 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, Public Choice Tags: Germany
In the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a strong plurality of votes and seats in the state parliament. The outcome is not a surprise, given that polling in advance of the election had been picking up a surge for the AfD and a decline for the Christian […]
Saxony-Anhalt 2026
Audrey on Te Pati Maori’s bottom line
04 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, discrimination, law and economics, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2026 general election, constitutional, law, racial discrimination
Audrey Young writes: Te Pāti Māori not only released a radical Treaty of Waitangi policy this week that would upend New Zealand’s democracy as we know it, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the whole policy was a bottom line, meaning it was non-negotiable. That means Te Pāti Māori would not sign up to a centre-left Government unless it…
Audrey on Te Pati Maori’s bottom line
Excellent constitutional ideas from ACT
03 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: 2026 general election, constitutional law
ACT have proposed a number of good constitutional ideas. They are: Add to the Constitution Act 1986: The Constitution Act is not supreme law. So putting these principles in there doesn’t impact any particular court decisions, but it is an important assertion of democratic values. ACT will add property rights to the New Zealand Bill…
Excellent constitutional ideas from ACT
‘The Logic of Political Survival,’ by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith, Randolph M. Siverson & James D. Morrow
31 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, Public Choice, rentseeking
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the political upheavals that followed, concerns have grown that many Western democracies face authoritarian pressure and are becoming less democratic. This shift has renewed interest in one of political science’s most influential frameworks for understanding democratic and nondemocratic rule: Selectorate Theory, developed by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith, Randolph…
‘The Logic of Political Survival,’ by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith, Randolph M. Siverson & James D. Morrow
Could Eisenkot form a minority government?
28 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, Public Choice Tags: Israel
From Tal Schneider in the Times of Israel: Gadi Eisenkot lays groundwork for a minority government, if necessary, to oust Netanyahu. The head of Yashar, that party that has been leading most polls in the run-up to Israel’s general election (27 October), is exploring the possibility of forming a government with fewer than 61 affirmative […]
Could Eisenkot form a minority government?
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