1.1-2000 to 31/8 2003.

The project is Funded by the ESRC (grant no. L138251006) and is part of the Understanding the Evolving Macroeconomy Research Programme, which has been set up by the ESRC to study the behaviour, governance and management of the UK economy in a rapidly changing world economic environment.

Our project aims to investigate "short-termism", or myopia, in the making of economic policy. We aim to investigate this at a theoretical level, as well as evaluating one or more instances of myopic policy-making as in-depth (historical) case studies.

Detailed project description

People

Published papers

Working papers

Progress report 2001

Progress report 2002

Progress report 2003

End-of-Grant Report.

Conference.

People

Professor Jayasri Dutta (Principal Investigator 1/1-2000 to 1/10 2000 ), Department of Economics, University of Birmingham (Email: J.Dutta@bham.ac.uk or tel.: + 44 0121 414 6640).

Dr. Toke Aidt (Principal Investigator, 1/10-2000 to 31/8 2003), Faculty of Economics and Politics, University of Cambridge (Email: Toke.Aidt@econ,cam.ac.uk or tel.: + 44 1223 335231).

Professor Martin Daunton, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge (Email: mjd42@cam.ac.uk and tel.: + 44 1223 65324).

Professor Stanley Engerman, Department of Economics, University of Rochester (Email: enge@troi.cc.rochester.edu or tel.:  + 1 716 275 3165).

Dr. Francesco Magris, EPEE, Universite d'Evry-Val D'Essone, France (Email: Francesco.Magris@eco,univ-evry.fr or tel.: + 33 1694 78094). Research associate (1/3-00 to 1/2-01).

Ms Elena Loukoianova, Department of Applied Economics, University of Cambridge (Email: el211@hermes.cam.ac.uk). Research assistant

Ms. K.L. Rakowsky, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.

Mr. Pedro Ramos Pinto, Department of History, University of Cambridge (E-mail: pedro_ramos_pinto@hotmail.com). Research assistant

Mrs Rozana Salid, Department of Applied Economics, University of Cambridge. Research assistant.

Published papers

Aidt, T.S., M. Daunton, and J. Dutta, The Retrenchment hypothesis and the extension of the franchise in England and Wales  Economic Journal 120, 990-1020.

Aidt, T.S., J. Dutta and E. Loukoianova, 2006.  Democracy comes to Europe: franchise expansion and fiscal outcomes 1830-1938.   European Economic Review 50, Issue 2, February 2006, Pages 249-283. Appendix table

Aidt, T.S. and J. Dutta Strategic Consensus. Journal of Mathematical Economics 40, 227-245 2004.

Aidt, T., and J. Dutta, 2001. Transitional Politics: Emerging Incentive based Instruments in Environmental regulation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Managemen 47, 458-479, 2004. Appendix.

Daunton, M., 2002, Trusting Leviathan: the problem of taxation 1815-1914, in The Political Economy of British History Experience, 1688-1914, pages 319-350 (Oxford University Press, for the British Academy).

Aidt, T. and Magris, F. 2006. Capital taxation and electoral accountability European Journal of Political Economy 22, Issue 2, 277-291

Aidt, T. and J. Dutta, 2007. Policy myopia and economic growth  European Journal of Political Economy 23, 734-753.

Aidt, T. and J. Dutta, 2009,  Policy compromises: corruption and regulation in a democracy  Economics and Politics (Older version in Cambridge Working Papers in Economics, 0404).

Working papers:

Dutta, J., 2000, Growth Conflicts. University of Birmingham, Department of Economics Discussion Paper: 00/15 November 2000.

Aidt, T., J. Dutta and E. Loukoianova, Policy myopia. Cambridge Working Papers in Economics, 0344.

 

Conference

We organized a 3-days conference in Cambridge (UK) in August 2002 (from the 14-16/8), with participation from economists and from historians, on "Public Expenditure and electoral politics". More information is available on the conference web page.