Mancur Olson

"Barriers to entry protect established interests at the expense of consumers."

"Intellectual property rights create incentives but also deadweight losses."

"Technology transfer requires aligning incentives across borders."

"International trade creates diffuse benefits and concentrated costs."

"Protectionism reflects the victory of organized interests over general welfare."

"Economic integration increases interdependence and reduces conflict."

"Trade wars destroy the institutions that peaceful exchange requires."

"Cooperation requires repeated interaction and credible enforcement."

"Trust emerges from institutions, not from good intentions."

"Reputation mechanisms are essential for maintaining cooperation."

"Private ordering can sometimes substitute for government coercion."

"Contract enforcement depends on either reputation or coercive power."

"Corruption is a rational response to misaligned incentives."

"Preventing corruption requires changing incentives, not changing morality."

"Transparency reduces corruption more than transparency laws."

"Institutional design matters more than the virtue of officials."

"Good institutions can constrain even corrupt officials."

"Bad institutions will corrupt even virtuous officials."

"The separation of powers is the most important institutional innovation."

"Checks and balances work by aligning interests, not by trusting virtue."

"Constitutional constraints are only effective when they serve interests."

"Written constitutions cannot constrain power without supporting interests."

"The ability to exit constrains power more than any constitution."

"Voice is only effective when combined with the threat of exit."

"Federalism allows exit and therefore constrains central power."

"Competition among jurisdictions provides discipline that elections cannot."

"The most important decisions are made before people vote."

"Rational ignorance is a permanent feature of democratic politics."

"The median voter theorem explains both too little and too much."

"Cycling prevents stable democratic outcomes in most circumstances."