History, institutions, and underdevelopment -- Distributive conflicts and the persistence of inefficient institutions -- Power : some conceptual issues -- Political economy and credible commitment : a review -- Democracy and poverty : the peculiar case of India -- Decentralization of governance -- Capture and governance at local and national levels -- Corruption -- Ethnic conflicts : method in the madness? -- Collective action and cooperation -- Irrigation and cooperation : an empirical study -- Global rules, markets, and the poor.