The recent growth in research on "good governance" and the quality of government institutions has been propelled by empirical findings that show that such institutions may hold the key to understanding economic growth and social welfare in developing and transition countries. We argue, however,...

List of tables and figures -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Reflections after a long day in Moscow -- 2. On the rational choice of culture -- 3. On the theory and practice of social capital -- 4. Social capital in the social democratic welfare state -- 5. How is social capital produced? -- 6. The...

The Historical Varieties of Democracy Dataset (Historical V-Dem) is a new dataset containing about 260 indicators, both factual and evaluative, describing various aspects of political regimes and state institutions. The dataset covers 91 polities globally – including most large, sovereign...