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Acknowledgments This project evolved from my graduate work at Duke University. My greatest intellectual debt goes to my dissertation advisor, Peter Lange. Peter has shaped this project in innumerable direct and perhaps more significantly, indirect ways. I thank him for his guidance, advice, and above all, patience. Bob Bates and Herbert Kitschelt also strongly influenced my intellectual development. Their research and teaching exemplify what political science should be. Special thanks are also due to William Bianco and Emerson Niou, who provided invaluable assistance during the process both as dissertation committee members and more importantly, as friends. Other (past and present) Duke faculty members who offered advice, encouragement, and criticism include John Aldrich, John Brehm, Paul Gronke, Tom Havrilesky, and Beth Simmons. While I was at Duke, the project also benefited from a dynamic and collegial cohort of graduate students: Clark Gibson, Dean Lacy, Brian Loynd, Howard Lubert, Layna Mosley, Phil Paolino, Matt Schousen, Patrick Sellers, Regina Smyth, and Ned Walpin. Although many people have contributed to this project, a few individuals have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, Rob Franzese, Jim Granato, Torben Iversen, and David Leblang merit special thanks for their kind and gracious assistance. Each has read the entire manuscript at least once and offered extensive comments and recommendations. In addition, I have received helpful advice and encouragement from Jim Alt, Alison Alter, Lawrence Broz, Kelly Chang, William Clark, Maria Green Cowles, Mark Crescenzi, William Downs, John Freeman, Jeff Frieden, Matt Gabel, Mark Hallerberg, John Huber, Erik Jones, Karl Kaltenthaler, William Keech, Kate McNamara, Burt Monroe, Irwin Morris, Thomas Oatley, Sofia Perez, Ron Rogowski, Andy Sobel, David Stasavage, and Daniel Verdier. Seminar participants at Harvard University, the Political Economy Program at XIV Acknowledgments Harvard University, Franklin & Marshall College, Indiana University, and the University of North Texas also made valuable comments. My colleagues at both Dartmouth College and the University of Illinois also deserve thanks for their time and advice. At Dartmouth, Darren Hawkins, Jim Hentz, Dave Kang, Catherine Shapiro, Joao Resende-Santos, and Jim Shoch provided intellectual stimulation. At Illinois, Lee Alston, Bear Braumoeller , Brian Gaines, Gerry Munck, Larry Neal, Bob Pahre, Brian Sala, and Richard Snyder made comments and suggestions. The University of Illinois Department of Political Science and the University Research Board provided the resources necessary for the completion of the project. Fieldwork was made possible by a Fulbright Grant to the European Communities . As a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies , I interacted with Peter Ludlow and Daniel Gros. Ivo Maes of the National Bank of Belgium also deserves thanks for helping me acclimate to the world of central banking in Europe. I thank Robert Franzese, Torben Iversen, David Leblang, Adam Posen, and Dennis Quinn for sharing data. Chad Atkinson and Sang-Hyun Lee provided able research assistance. ...

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