This paper opens with a discussion of the types of institutions that allow markets to perform adequately. While we can identify in broad terms what these are, there is no unique mapping between markets and the non-market institutions that underpin them. The paper emphasizes the importance of...

We consider a model of policy choice in which appropriate policies depend on a country's own circumstances, but the presence of a successful leader generates an informational externality and results in too little 'policy experimentation.' Corrupt governments are reined in while honest...

A civic society is distinguished by its language and its law. In this paper I suggest a theory that links these institutions via the notion of a standard contract. The theory is based upon two observations: that contracts are compiled in words, and that more common (standardized) words are...

This paper develops a theory to explain growth in developed and undeveloped countries. Where transaction and information costs are low, people more easily perceive and oppose activities conducive to deadweight losses. The opposite holds where information and transaction costs are high, because...

In this paper we examine the determinants of the allocation of Canadian bilateral aid over the period 1984-2000. We draw on models of donor behaviour that allow us to incorporate humanitarian, commercial and political considerations - the `trinity of mixed motives' - that affect Canadian aid. We...

Dieses Papier verdeutlicht die zentrale Bedeutung normativer Aspekte im Zusammenhang mit oekonomischen Empfehlungen zur Reform der deutschen Sozialsysteme und leitet hieraus eine besondere Relevanz der Wirtschaftsethik in diesem Rahmen ab. Wir identifizieren die ethische Dimension der...

This paper uses the first three waves of the Gallup World Poll to investigate differences across countries, cultures and regions in the factors linked to life satisfaction, paying special attention to the social context. Our principal findings are: First, using the larger pooled sample, we find...

Using a newly assembled dataset spanning from 1820 to 1998, we study the relationship between the occurrence and magnitude of episodes of mass killing and the levels of development and democracy across countries and over time. Mass killings appear to be more likely at intermediate levels of...

Is social capital long lasting? Does it affect long term economic performance? To answer these questions we test Putnam’s conjecture that today marked differences in social capital between the North and South of Italy were due to the culture of independence fostered by the free city-states...

Taking both the enlargement process, as currently defined by the EU, and the structural funds as a given, this Paper examines what is the best way for candidate countries to fuel real convergence. The experience from earlier EU enlargements and current economic conditions within the CEEC10...