The twenty-first volume of the Journal of Government and Economics (JGE) was released in the spring of 2026, with articles exploring a variety of topics in the emerging field of government and economics. Bing Li, Daokui Li and Ke’aobo Li argue that a key driver behind government's growing size is households' increase in leisure time, with households being the ultimate payers of government expenditure. Sèna Kimm Gnangnon and Pinyi Chen investigate whether governments’ compliance with constitutional rules promotes labour reallocation by reshaping sectoral employment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Saibal Ghosh examines the impact of government environmental legislation on corporate capital structure in India, combining firm-level data with legislation classifying firms by pollution intensity. Jorge Rubio-Herranz and María-Jesús Segovia-Vargas examine how government-led regulatory design shapes market outcomes when harmonised frameworks are applied to locally specific financial products. K B Saxena and Akhil Alha evaluate how caste-structured market processes in India shape the position of Dalit entrepreneurs within the leather value chain and constrain opportunities for accumulation.

Why does the size of the government increase with economic development: A theory based on higher household leisure and its prediction of bigger government in the AI era

Bing Li, Daokui Li, Ke’aobo Li

From institutions to jobs: How governments’ compliance with constitutional rules reshapes sectoral employment in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sèna Kimm Gnangnon, Pinyi Chen

Does governmental activism affect firm leverage? Evidence from India

Saibal Ghosh

Government-led regulatory proportionality and market development: Evidence from Spain’s funeral insurance under Solvency II

Jorge Rubio-Herranz, María-Jesús Segovia-Vargas

Caste, credit, and social capital: Constraints on Dalit entrepreneurship in India’s leather industry

K B Saxena, Akhil Alha