Unpacking revenue bargaining

Abstract

Abstract In this chapter, we present in detail the analytical framework informing the empirical chapters of the book. This includes careful conceptualization of micro-level revenue bargaining and fiscal contracts, paying attention to distinguishing these two often conflated concepts. We elaborate on central political settlement concepts including the sources of bargaining power of revenue providers and ruling elites, and, specifically, we conceptualize a fiscal dimension of revenue providers’ bargaining power. This enables us to develop a model to assess the relative bargaining power of revenue providers vis-à-vis ruling elites (or representatives hereof), which is valuable for understanding how and under which conditions revenue bargaining emerges, evolves, and leads to fiscal contracts. Finally, the chapter presents the book’s methodological approach and briefly introduces the empirical Chapters 3–12.