Institititions, Geography and growth - institutions Flashcards
what are the proximate causes of growth
high levels of factors such as physical capital, human capital, and technology, which result in a high level of GDP per capita
what are fundamental causes of growth
factors that are at the root of the differences in the proximate causes of prosperity
what are the 2 predictions from the solow model
- countries will reach a steady state (0 growth) level when capital depreciation = capital accumulation
- poorer countries will catch up with leaders in the LR - because can benefit from initially higher returns to capital and by importing technology
looking at world performances how has the solow predictions tested
both failed, how and why
- unconditional convergence
- not true that all lagged countries in 1950 have caught up - steady state
- not true that all people doing well in 1950s are now in steady state - 0 growth
- spatial inequality in GDPpc
how can solow model be improved
by making technology A endogenous
- featuring an R&D sector
but still fails to explain why different countries have different levels in R&D
what are fundamental causes of growth
5
- institutions
- geography
- culture
- openness to trade
- luck
what are instititions
economic
political
institutions = rules of the game
political - parliament
economic - markets
why do inclusive and extractive states form
inclusive
- willing cooperation of people - they gain from having a state
extractive
- coerce people and extract a surplus
- have incentives to not be growth friendly
what are examples of economic institutions
- enforcement of property rights and contracts
- markets
- slavery
- monopolies
what do economic institutions do
allow agents to reliably extract payoff and rents
- give incentive to invest
what is the main problem behind question
do good institutions cause growth
reverse causality and endogeneity
between development and institutions
- economic growth may lead to better institutions
what is the equilibrium that emerged after Glorious Revolution that made it possible for industrial revolution to happen
- better institutions
- protection of property rights
- parliamentry checks - not abusing power
- reduced use of crown monopolies
- better financial markets
- easier access to credit
- larger government budgets
North 1989
histroy of Glorious revolution led to growth friendly institutions
quasi natural experiment
Koreas
what does this show about institutions
- before the split - had same geography, culture, economies
- south korea = democracy with growth friendly economic institutions
- north korea = autocracy
- looking at light luminosity - as a proxy for economic growth
- SK way brighter = more developed - 10 times the GDP
Acemoglu (2001)
- property rights and development
- at the inception of the colonial period
- Europeans chose to settle in areas that had low settler mortality rates of higher
- in areas they settled = set up inclusive institutions - good political and economic
- in areas they didnt settle = extractive institutions
- today where they chose to settle = high GDP per capita