The Institutional Foundations of Public Policy in Argentina: A Transactions Cost Approach

This book develops a general model of public policymaking, focusing on the difficulties of securing intertemporal exchanges among politicians. By using this model the authors are able to derive a series of empirical propositions about the conditions under which policies are likely to be volatile, rigid, or high quality. In addition, the authors combine the tools of game theory with Williamson's transaction cost theory, North's institutional arguments, and contract theory, to provide a general theory of public policymaking in a comparative political economy setting. They also undertake a detailed study of Argentina, using statistical analyses on newly developed data to complement their nuanced account of institutions, rules, incentives and outcomes. Drawing on this research the book explores the reasons for Argentina's seeming inability to design and implement high quality public policies over a sustained period of time.

Pablo T. Spiller is the Jeffrey A. Jacobs Distinguished Professor of Business Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Research Associate, NBER. Mariano Tommasi is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Economics at Universidad de San Andres and Director of the Center of Studies for Institutional Development, both in Argentina.