Using data on 20 industrial countries for the period 1982 to 2003, this article finds that more active stock markets are likely to lower the unemployment rate. The magnitude of the effect appears to be modest but noticeable. We control for both endogeneity of stock market activity and all major...

Using data from 58 countries and the period 1980 to 2003, this paper analyzes how the size of government affects unemployment in developing countries. According to the regression results, a large government sector is likely to increase unemployment. A large share of government consumption in...

Using data on 17 industrial countries from 1982 to 2003 and controlling for a wide array of factors, this paper finds that higher exchange rate volatility increases the unemployment rate. The magnitude of the effect is small. The results are robust to variations in specification.

In the course of cultural evolution, certain institutions have emerged and become dominant in the Western world that have led to an unprecedented rise in prosperity and population. This paper first explains the characteristics and significance of cultural evolution. Subsequently, it explains the...