Kaushik Basu is Professor of Economics and holds the C. Marks Chair in the Department of Economics at Cornell University. He has been Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, Princeton University (1989-91), Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (1985-6), and Professor, Delhi School of Economics (1985-94). He received his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics on choice theory and welfare economics, and has published extensively in the areas of game theory, development economics, and industrial organization. His books include Analytical Development Economics: The Less Developed Economy Revisited (MIT Press).

Basu covers everything from game theory to norms to the foundations of economics to the nature of the state. The question remains whether it fits the second category of an Ah-Ha book, and partly it does. Here we have a very smart economist, who knows all the standard results of his discipline, thinking very hard about political economy and government, and willing to entertain speculative notions. He does come up with something.

• PART I. PRELIMINARIES ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Games and Misdemeanors: Game Theory for the Uninitiated ; 3. Individual Rationality ; PART II. SOCIETY ; 4. Social Norms, Culture and Beliefs ; PART III. THE STATE ; 5. Law and Economics ; 6. Power and Coercion ; 7. On Advising Government ; 8. The Concept of "State" ; PART IV. ETHICS AND JUDGMENT ; 9. Welfare and Interpersonal Comparisons ; 10. Utilitarianism and Rights ; PART V. CONCLUSION ; 11. Some Concluding Remarks ; Appendix. Notes on Methodology: Various and Sundry

Kaushik Basu is Professor of Economics and holds the C. Marks Chair in the Department of Economics at Cornell University. He has been Visiting Professor at the Department of Economics, Princeton University (1989-91), Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (1985-6), and Professor, Delhi School of Economics (1985-94). He received his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics on choice theory and welfare economics, and has published extensively in the areas of game theory, development economics, and industrial organization. His books include Analytical Development Economics: The Less Developed Economy Revisited (MIT Press).

Basu covers everything from game theory to norms to the foundations of economics to the nature of the state. The question remains whether it fits the second category of an Ah-Ha book, and partly it does. Here we have a very smart economist, who knows all the standard results of his discipline, thinking very hard about political economy and government, and willing to entertain speculative notions. He does come up with something.

• PART I. PRELIMINARIES ; 1. Introduction ; 2. Games and Misdemeanors: Game Theory for the Uninitiated ; 3. Individual Rationality ; PART II. SOCIETY ; 4. Social Norms, Culture and Beliefs ; PART III. THE STATE ; 5. Law and Economics ; 6. Power and Coercion ; 7. On Advising Government ; 8. The Concept of "State" ; PART IV. ETHICS AND JUDGMENT ; 9. Welfare and Interpersonal Comparisons ; 10. Utilitarianism and Rights ; PART V. CONCLUSION ; 11. Some Concluding Remarks ; Appendix. Notes on Methodology: Various and Sundry