Labor market policies and institutions affect the success of economic reform but probably more for political than for economic reasons. Growth appears not to be hurt by minimum wages and mandatory benefits. But the relative size of organized labor (in government and elsewhere) is crucial....

This paper uses satellite readings of nitrogen (NO2) air pollution, a byproduct of combustion, to improve the measurement of global economic activity. The proposed approach improves upon night light measures for countries where data manipulation, conflict, or other factors have led to poor...

Based on a comprehensive worldwide firm survey, this paper looks at how the business environment and economic agglomeration affect job creation, holding constant conventional determinants of firm growth, such as firm ownership, size, and age. The analysis finds that economic agglomeration is...