Antonio Merlo is the Dean of the School of Social Sciences and the George A. Peterkin Professor of Economics at Rice University, USA. He is also the founding and current director of the Rice Initiative for the Study of Economics (RISE). In 2012, he was elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. His areas of expertise are political economy, policy analysis, public economics, bargaining theory and applications, and empirical microeconomics.
Merlo provides an excellent introduction to political economy, which I highly recommend to advanced undergraduate students, or anyone looking for a formal introduction to the field. , Professor Christopher S. Cotton, Queen's University, Canada Antonio Merlo has written an outstanding text on the economic foundations of political economy and policy analysis. The book is written in an engaging style with accessible models and applications to education, health care, and redistribution policy. , David P. Baron, Davis S. and Ann M. Barlow Professor of Political Economy and Strategy, Emeritus, Stanford University, USA This book equips students to explore a range of important policy issues that require insights from economics and political science. The analysis presented reflects a range of recent developments that have transformed the field in recent years once again putting political economy back in the mainstream of economics. It is suited for a wide range of students who wish to advance their understanding of policy-making processes. , Sir Timothy Besley, School Professor of Economics and Political Science & W. Arthur Lewis Professor of Development Economics, London School of Economics, UK Merlo has assembled a rigorous political economy text, broad in scope. Books like this are what's needed to properly educate the next generation of social scientists. , Kenneth A. Shepsle, George D. Markham Professor of Government, Harvard University, USA