We present cross-country evidence that a country’s macroeconomic volatility, measured either by the standard deviation of output growth or the occurrence of trend-growth breaks, is significantly affected by the country’s historical variables. In particular, countries with longer histories of...

This paper evaluates the role of technical change as a mediating channel through which the effects of institutions trickle down to affect macroeconomic volatility, crises and growth. Using different samples, estimation procedures and indicators of institutions and technical change, we find a...