This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development. We first document the empirical importance of institutions by focusing on two “quasi-natural experiments” in history, the...

Regionale Unterschiede wirtschaftlicher Leistungskraft stellten die Europäische Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft seit ihrer Gründung im Jahre 1957 vor erhebliche integrationspolitische Probleme. Erweiterung und Vertiefung haben diese Herausforderung ständig vergrößert. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es...

Die Arbeit ist der tschechischen Systemtransformation von der Planwirtschaft in die Marktwirtschaft gewidmet. Dabei werden über den Rahmen der Tschechischen Republik hinaus allgemeine Gesetzmäßigkeiten solcher Systemtransformationen herausgearbeitet. Transformationsprozesse sind...

The similarities and differences between the transition experiences of the Central European countries and the People's Republic of China are often, wrongly, taken as alternative approaches to the same problem. In reality, there is great complexity, not only in the environments of these two great...

Egypt is lagging behind other countries in the Mediterranean region in reforming its economy. This book explains why. The authors contend that the Egyptian political system, based to a large extent on discrete patronage and dominated by powerful interest groups was inherently resistant to...

In virtually all advanced industrialized countries, the explosive topic of immigration has engendered heated argument, political anger, cultural anxieties, and blatant racism. In the United States, most of the attention is on the stream of Mexicans crossing the border in such numbers that early...

In many African countries, violent conflicts have slowed down economic and social development, if they have not actually pushed it backwards. In order to manage conflicts in a non-violent manner, governance methods adapted to the development process are needed. Effective conflict prevention,...

Information and communications technology (ICT) has become a key driver of economic growth over the past decade. The rapid diffusion of the Internet, of mobile telephony and of broadband networks all demonstrate how pervasive this technology has become. But how precisely does ICT affect economic...