The relationship between the distribution of political rights and that of economic resources has been studied both theoretically and empirically. This paper reviews the existing literature and, in particular, the available empirical evidence.Our reading of the literature suggests that formal...

Empirical analysis shows that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in 25 postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in this team's regression