The Axial Age, which lasted between 800 B. C. E. and 200 B. C. E., covers an era in which the spiritual foundations of humanity were laid simultaneously and independently in various geographic areas, and all three major monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam were born between 1200 B. C....

States' fiscal capacity plays a pivotal role in developing economies, but it is less clear what its determinants are or what explains cross-country differences. We focus on the impact of natural resources. Standard arguments suggest that natural resources rents may reduce incentives to invest in...

We exploit differences in the mortality rates faced by European colonialists to estimate the effect of institutions on economic performance. Our argument is that Europeans adopted very different colonization policies in different colonies, with different associated institutions. The choice of...

This chapter discusses two propositions: (1) institutions matter and (2) the determinants of institutions susceptible to the tools of economic analysis. Transaction costs include the direct costs of obtaining information, negotiating among the parties to an agreement, and communicating all...

The Gender, Institutions and Development Database (GID-DB) is a database providing researchers and policy makers with key data on gender-based discrimination in social institutions. The data help analyse women’s empowerment and understand gender gaps in other key areas of development. Covering...

The Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base presents comparative data on gender equality. It has been compiled from secondary sources such as Gender Stats and the Human Development Report as well as from in-depth reviews of country case studies. The data are divided into six categories:...