Institutions Trade & Economic Development
We would like to thank The School of Economics, University of Nottingham, for hosting and sponsoring the 6th InsTED Workshop. We would also like to thank the Nottingham School of Economics for incorporating The World Economy Lecture into the InsTED Workshop, and Wiley for sponsoring this. The workshop took place from September 20th-22nd, 2019. […]
We would like to thank The Department of Economics and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, for hosting and sponsoring the 5th InsTED Workshop. We are also grateful for sponsorship and organizational support from the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, as well as sponsorship from the Program for the Advancement of […]
By Ben Zissimos (University of Exeter Business School) In a landmark paper, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson argue that a key purpose of democratization is to resolve a commitment problem faced by a ruling elite under the threat of revolution.[1] Their motivation focuses on 19th and early 20th Century Europe, during which time a number […]
Social scientists regard globalization and technological progress as major contributors to the ongoing increase in job and income polarization in the United States and Europe. This increased inequality is thought to have reduced standards of living for the median voter in both regions. Against this backdrop, the 2007-2008 financial crisis seems to have created a […]
The Brexit vote on June 23rd 2016 highlights the basic fact that the costs and benefits of economic and political integration are unequally distributed across different social groups within a region. Because integration has winners and losers, when decisions on sovereignty are taken through majority voting it is possible that a majority against integration emerges even if it is […]
Over the second half of the 20th century, civil conflicts (i.e. intra-state conflict) have become increasingly dominant and now account for a greater share of deaths and hardship than any other form of conflict (the main comparator being inter-state conflict). Empirical research shows that economic variables, particularly poverty and income inequality, are important determinants of […]
The 2008 world food price spikes lead to conflict between the World Bank and food exporters. Motivated by the prospect of food shortages, food exporting countries responded to the food price spikes by restricting their exports just at the time when countries already experiencing a shortage were looking to the world market for relief. In […]
There is increasing interest in how natural resources influence political stability. Under a dictatorial regime, political stability is determined by the ability of a ruling group to stay in power. If political power is the route to personal riches by the appropriation of natural resource income, remaining in power is that much more attractive. As […]
There is considerable debate over whether and how political institutions affect economic performance and vice versa. Does the form of government, democracy or dictatorship, have an important bearing on economic growth and efficiency, and how does growth affect the consolidation of democracy? Under what circumstances is democracy a spur for greater equality, and does inequality […]