In a neoclassical growth model with many regions and a mobile factor, two federal arrangements are considered. In the first federal arrangement the central government chooses a uniform tax policy, whereas in the second each regional government chooses its own tax policy. The main result is that...

This paper analyzes the relationship between unofficial economy (UE) and official GDP. Through the study of the UE within an institutional comprehensive empirical framework, a positive correlation is found between unofficial and official GDP. Empirical evidence on the procyclicality of UE...

Recent research has emphasized the influence of colonization on the institutional development and economic performance in former European colonies. Where European colonizers settled, they replicated the investment-conducive institutions found at home. It has been argued that a harsh disease...

We use a set of established growth models, which simultaneously include human capital and R&D, to show that the effect of mortality rate in human capital accumulation is quantitatively more important than the effect of perfectly guaranteed patents on research. First, we show that the effect of...

Rodriguez-Pose A. and Gill N. (2005) On the 'economic dividend' of devolution, Regional Studies 39 , 405-420. Recent political and academic discourse about devolution has tended to stress the economic advantages of the transfer of power from national to subnational institutions. This 'economic...

Does the nationality of migrants arriving in any particular territory make a difference for long-term economic development? Have Irish, German or Italian settlers arriving in the US at the turn of the 20th century left an institutional trace which determines economic development differences to...

The variety of views about ICTs reveals that their role in development is unclear, especially without convincing evidence of their impact-and little research has been conducted on the direct and indirect links between ICTs and poverty reduction. This book, addresses several pressing questions...

The right to hold dual citizenship is an important political institution that is being adopted by an increasing number of countries. We argue that this institution can generate important social and economic benefits beyond its political dimension. Dual citizenship recognition by a country allows...

Which are the fundamental causes of the Italian "dualism"? This paper explores the effect of "Social Infrastructure", defined by Hall and Jones (1999) as the set of economic institutions of a Country or Region, which are crucial for understanding the persistent lag of the "Mezzogiorno". We...

This paper aims to put together two strands of economic analysis. One is concerned with technological progress as the key driving force behind economic development. The other is concerned with the role of institutions in shaping economic activity, and with how institutions change in the process...