Institutions in Development

The June 2003 issue of Finance & Development, highlighting this topic, contained the following thought provoking articles:

"Root Causes: A historical approach to assessing the role of institutions in economic development"
Daron Acemoglu
A look at the impact the different types of institutions established by Europeans in their colonies had on subsequent economic development, and the implications for development today. (88 kb, pdf file)

"The Primacy of Institutions (and what this does and does not mean)"
Dani Rodrik and Arvind Subramanian
The authors come up with some striking results about the importance of institutions that have broad implications for development and lending conditionality. (87 kb, pdf file)

"Testing the Links: How strong are the links between institutional quality and economic performance?"
Hali Edison
A study of the links between institutional quality and economic performance analyzes the degree to which sound institutions affect development, growth, and the volatility of growth. (57 kb, pdf file)

"Institutions Matter, but Not for Everything: The role of geography and resource endowments in development shouldn’t be underestimated"
Jeffrey D. Sachs
The role of geography and resources in development shouldn’t be underestimated; poor countries need special help to overcome development obstacles, says the UN Secretary-General's special advisor on the UN Millennium Development Goals. (107 kb, pdf file)

"Institutions Needed for More than Growth: By facilitating the management of environmental and social assets, institutions underpin sustainable development"
Christian Eigen-Zucchi, Gunnar S. Eskeland, and Zmarak Shalizi