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The Review of Economics and Statistics Vol. 73 No. 4 1991

An Econometric Technique for Comparing Median Voter and Oligarchy Choice Models of Collective Action: The Case of the Nato Alliance

James C. Murdoch; Todd Sandler; Laurna Hansen

Abstract

This paper devises an empirical methodology for discriminating between the median voter model and the oligarchy choice model when applied to the collective provision of a public good. In particular, an empirical methodology is engineered so that a nested test procedure can evaluate competing models. The authors apply this methodology to examine the demand for military activities of ten members of the NATO alliance. A two-stage least squares procedure, corrected for autocorrelation, is used to estimate the demand equations. Test results vary: some allies abide by the median voter model, others by the oligarchy model, and still others by neither.

DOI
10.2307/2109401
Volume
73
Issue
4
Pages
624
Sources
openalex crossref

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