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Democratic capital: the nexus of political and economic change

Persson, Torsten and Tabellini, Guido (2009) Democratic capital: the nexus of political and economic change. American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, 1 (2). pp. 88-126. ISSN 1945-7707

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Identification Number: 10.1257/mac.1.2.88

Abstract

We study the dynamics of economic and political change, theoretically and empirically. Democratic capital measured by a nation's historical experience with democracy, and the incidence of democracy in its neighborhood, appears to reduce exit rates from democracy and raise exit rates from autocracy. Higher democratic capital stimulates growth by increasing the stability of democracies. Heterogeneous effects of democracy induce sorting of countries into political regimes, which helps explain systematic differences between democracies and autocracies. Our results suggest the possibility of a virtuous circle, where accumulation of physical and democratic capital reinforce each other, promoting economic development and consolidation of democracy.

Item Type: Article
Official URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AEA/
Additional Information: © 2009 American Economic Association
Divisions: Economics
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
J Political Science > JC Political theory
JEL classification: D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D72 - Economic Models of Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare; Basic Needs; Living Standards; Quality of Life; Happiness
N - Economic History > N1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations > N10 - General, International, or Comparative
N - Economic History > N4 - Government, War, Law, and Regulation > N40 - General, International, or Comparative
O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity > O47 - Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output (Income) Convergence
Date Deposited: 20 Feb 2012 17:01
Last Modified: 14 Mar 2024 03:48
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/41967

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