The blocking-minority threshold is the decisive lever in constitutional design

Evidence

As our critical constitutional choice we focus upon the size of the minority needed to block legislation, or conversely the size of the (super) majority needed to govern. We analyze both “optimal” constitutional design and “positive” aspects of this process. We derive several empirical implications which we then discuss. — Philippe Aghion, Alberto Alesina, and Francesco Trebbi, Endogenous Political Institutions, 10

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the framework’s key parameter: the supermajority required to govern is the mirror image of the minority needed to block.