"Institutions are a major field of interest in the study of development processes. The authors contribute to this discussion concentrating our research on political institutions and their effect on the non-income dimensions of human development. First, they elaborate a theoretical argument why...

Ideology, as proxied by a country's dominant religion, seems to be related to inequality. In Judeo-Christian societies increased democratization appears to lower inequality; in Muslim and Confucian societies it has an insignificant effect. One reason for this difference may be that Muslim and...

The results of a cross-country empirical analysis suggests that political institutions are extremely important in determining the prevalence of corruption: democracy, parliamentary systems, political stability, and freedom of the press are all associated with lower corruption

"This paper identifies systematic performance differences between younger and older democracies: younger democracies are more corrupt; exhibit less rule of law, lower levels of bureaucratic quality, and lower secondary school enrollments; and spend more on public investment and government...

The exchange rate regime does make a difference for inflation performance. It is difficult to infer its effect on growth, but policy variables, and other variables influencing economic activity, do have different effects on growth under different exchange-rate arrangements

Transition economies are at different stages of integration into the world trading system. Most remaining reforms and adjustments must be initiated by the countries themselves. But the United States and the European Union can help by reviewing their policies toward "nonmarket" economies

"The authors use a sample of 147 countries to investigate the link between democracy and reforms. Democracy may be conducive to reforms, because politicians have the incentive to embrace growth-enhancing reforms to win elections. By contrast, authoritarian regimes do not have to worry as much...