Do We See Convergence in Institutions? A Cross-Country Analysis

The Journal of Development Studies, Volume 52, Issue 2, 2016, Forthcoming

31 Pages Posted: 7 Mar 2014 Last revised: 2 Nov 2015

See all articles by Antonio Savoia

Antonio Savoia

University of Manchester - Global Development Institute

Kunal Sen

The University of Manchester

Date Written: April 27, 2015

Abstract

Differences in the quality of institutions may explain differences in per capita income. Yet, we know relatively little on how institutions evolve. This paper contributes to such knowledge by testing for convergence in legal, bureaucratic and administrative institutional quality. Using cross-section and panel methods on a large sample of countries from the 1970s to 2010, we find that countries with initially poor institutions tended to slowly catch up, both when they shared the same initial conditions and when they did not. However, the convergence process seems to be a temporary effect following the end of the Cold War.

Keywords: Convergence, Institutions, Institutional Change, Growth, Economic Development

JEL Classification: O1, P1, P5

Suggested Citation

Savoia, Antonio and Sen, Kunal, Do We See Convergence in Institutions? A Cross-Country Analysis (April 27, 2015). The Journal of Development Studies, Volume 52, Issue 2, 2016, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2405496 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2405496

Antonio Savoia (Contact Author)

University of Manchester - Global Development Institute ( email )

Arthur Lewis building
Oxford Road
Manchester, M13 9PL
United Kingdom

Kunal Sen

The University of Manchester ( email )

Oxford Road
Manchester, N/A M13 9PL
United Kingdom

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