Exploring the panel components of the Institutional Profiles Database (IPD)

The Institutional Profiles Database (IPD) produced by the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) has been carried out in 2001, 2006 and 2009, and a new wave is planned for 2012. Although the structure of the surveys varies greatly between 2006 and 2009, the similarity of a substantial proportion of the questions allows for exploring and exploiting the panel components of the database. This paper presents some general patterns of short-term institutional change, aided by a conceptual classification of the institutional variables. It tests two hypotheses in a preliminary way: a) that institutions tend to score higher over time, and b) that institutions tend to converge across countries. Additionally, it explores associations between institutions and growth for the period 2001-2009.