Originally published in the journal Economics of governance.

Includes bibliographical references.

The wide importance of conflict / Amihai Glazer, Kai A. Konrad -- Social identity, inequality and conflict / James A. Robinson -- Butter and guns : complementarity between economic and military competition / Herschel I. Grossman, Juan Mendoza -- Targeting and political support for welfare spending / Karl Ove Moene, Michael Wallerstein -- How to understand and deal with dictatorship / Ronald Wintrobe -- Tax resistance, economy and state transformation in China and Europe / R. Bin Wong -- The rationality of revolution / Leonard Dudley -- Optimal law enforcement when victims are rational players / Nuno Garoupa -- Property rights and the evolution of the state / Yoram Barzel -- The political economy of organized crime : providing protection when the state does not / Stergios Skaperdas -- Social decision rules are not immune to conflict / Joan Esteban, Debraj Ray.

All Ages.