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In this paper we present stylized facts of the Greek economy that characterize the causes and the consequences of its ongoing crisis. Then, we offer an explanation that can account for those causes and consequences. This explanation is based on the view of Greek society as consisting of two...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011083245
We present a tractable stochastic endogenous growth model that explains how social capital influences economic development. In our model, social capital increases citizens' awareness of government activity. Hence, it alleviates the electoral incentives to under-invest in education, whose returns...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011084642
regime change and not democratization. We identify and examine 90 successful, failed, and gradual transitions that have … occurred over the last half century. This new classification permits us to compare successful episodes of democratization with … that the growth dividend from political transition is a result of regime change and not democratization, and also offer new …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011084006
waves of the World Values Survey (1980 to 2005). We thus relate eleven indicators of individual openness to innovation …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011213308
We analyze the joint dynamics of religious beliefs, scientific progress and coalitional politics along both religious and economic lines. History offers many examples of the recurring tensions between science and organized religion, but as part of the paper’s motivating evidence we also...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011262883
This essay investigates the determinants of the growth performance of Africa. I start by illustrating a broader research agenda which accounts not only for basic economic and demographic factors, but also for the role of history and institutional development. After reporting results from...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10009225960
We propose a general theory that explains the extent of the state and accounts for related institutions as byproducts of the state's extractive technology. We posit further that this extractive technology is determined by the transparency of the production technology. This theory is applied to...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10009283392
Over the last two centuries, many countries experienced regime transitions toward democracy. We document this democratic transition over a long time horizon. We use historical time series of income, education and democracy levels from 1870 to 2000 to explore the economic factors associated with...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10009320398
Stabilizing and liberalizing policies are key elements of the Washington Consensus. This paper adds a historical dimension to the ongoing debate by assessing the economic impact of market-oriented reforms undertaken during General Franco’s dictatorship, the 1959 Stabilization and...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008468511
We explore the determinants of state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling for a wide range of economic, demographic, geographic and institutional regressors, we find that institutions, and in particular the civil liberties index and the number of revolutions, are the main determinants of...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008468636