ABSTRACT
Everyone, except bumblebees themselves, knows that bumblebees are not fi t to fl y. The diffi cult combination of a large body mass with relatively small wings should represent a challenge for fl ying. Similarly, no one expects that a highly fragmented congress with rent-seeking legislators would be capable of producing signifi cant economic reforms. But they did. Why did opposition legislators vote for highly unpopular economic reforms? What kind of payments did they receive in return? And how were legislative agreements enforced and or defections sanctioned?
