Democracies Pay Higher Wages

15 Pages Posted: 7 Aug 2000 Last revised: 23 Nov 2022

See all articles by Dani Rodrik

Dani Rodrik

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Date Written: January 1998

Abstract

Controlling for labor productivity, income levels, and other possible determinants, there is a robust and statistically significant association between the extent of democratic rights and wages received by workers. The association exists both across countries and over time within countries. The coefficient estimates suggest that non-negligible wage improvements result from the enhancement of democratic institutions: average wages in a country like Mexico would be expected to increase by 10-30 percent were Mexico to attain a level of democracy comparable to that prevailing in the U.S.

Suggested Citation

Rodrik, Dani, Democracies Pay Higher Wages (January 1998). NBER Working Paper No. w6364, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=226113

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