Are natural resources a "curse" or a "blessing"? The empirical evidence suggests either outcome is possible. The paper surveys a variety of hypotheses and supporting evidence for why some countries benefit and others lose from the presence of natural resources. These include that a resource...

Are natural resources a “curse” or a “blessing”? The empirical evidence suggests either outcome is possible. The paper surveys a variety of hypotheses and supporting evidence for why some countries benefit and others lose from the presence of natural resources. These include that a...

This paper is a follow-up to a study that ranked California last in terms of business friendliness. The present paper provides some reasons why the per capita GDP in California is going up even though thousands of business are leaving the state because of its high taxes and burdensome regulations

The paper examines the current state of competition in a number of sectors that are important for the economy. Because of the country’s small size and isolation, the analysis focuses on barriers to entry, investment and external trade, rather than some standard indicators of competition...

The OECD Growth Study and other empirical work have shown that the strength of competition in product markets plays an important role in the economic growth process as well as contributing to a more efficient allocation of resources in a static sense. More intense competition is likely to...

This study takes a comprehensive look at the overall flexibility of regulatory governance in Korea, including the design, implementation, and monitoring of the many issues surrounding regulatory reform that stand in the way of innovation growth. Based on the findings of the analysis, the paper...

While research on the economic characteristics of growth models across countries is now extensive, research on the politics of growth models is still in its infancy, even though governments routinely pursue different strategies to generate growth. In particular, we lack evidence on (1) whether...