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Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments Undeniably the deepest debt is owed to Jeffrey Scot Banks. Although drafts of some sections of the chapters herein already existed, spin-offs from working on Positive Political Theory 1: Collective Preference [13], we did not begin this volume until September 2000. In October of that year, Jeff was admitted to the hospital, where he remained until his death two months later, on the twenty-first of December 2000. Nevertheless, Positive Political Theory II: Strategy and Structure is as much due to Jeff as it is to me; in part because it draws extensively on his work, but mostly because Jeff's view and understanding of the field so deeply influenced my own. With Positive Political Theory I, this book completes a collaborative project that almost surely would not have been started without Jeff. I miss him sorely. In addition to a great many of Jeff's and my friends who offered encouragement and support during the writing of this book, I owe thanks to several people for more specific help with the project. John Duggan graciously allowed me to include some unpublished (at the time of writing) results by (among others) Jeff Banks and himself, patiently responding to what must have seemed like an endless litany of questions about the details and technicalities therein. Richard McKelvey and Raghu Sundaram both provided valuable help at various times. Matthias Dahm, Hulya Eraslan, Maggie Penn, Gregory Pavlov and Razvan Vlaicu all read chapters and offered detailed comments and constructive suggestions. My friends and colleagues at Northwestern University, Steven Callander, Daniel Diermeier, Tim Feddersen , Ken Shotts and Michael Wallerstein, consistently helped me see what I was trying to say at many junctures in the development of the manuscript . Roger Myerson helped me understand his theory of Poisson games, providing a proof within this theory for Theorem 8.3. And despite his experience dealing with us in regard to Positive Political Theory I, Bob Turring again translated hand-drawn diagrams into legible figures, tolerating many revisions and last-minute changes without complaint. None of these people, however, can be held responsible for any errors remaining or views expressed xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS in the chapters to follow; that privilege rests with me. Finally, I could not have managed at all without the love and understanding of my wife, Maggie, and children Clare and Luke, or the friendship and encouragement of Jeff's widow, Shannon, and sons Bryan and Danny. Thank you from both of us. David Austen-Smith April 2004 ...