Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition?

Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition? PDF Author: Jean-Jacques Dethier
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Civil society
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Empirical analysis shows that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in 25 postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in this team's regression.

Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition?

Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition? PDF Author: Jean-Jacques Dethier
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category : Civil society
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description
Empirical analysis shows that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in 25 postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in this team's regression.

Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition? An Empirical Study of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

Does Democracy Facilitate the Economic Transition? An Empirical Study of Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union PDF Author: Jean-Jacques Dethier
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
Empirical analysis shows that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in 25 postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in this team's regressions.Dethier, Ghanem, and Zoli analyze whether political freedom and civil liberties help or hinder economic liberalization, using panel data from 25 postcommunist countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union between 1992 and 1997.Building on arguments and counter-arguments put forth in recent literature, they identify the channels through which political freedom affects economic liberalization during the transition. Then they test the arguments empirically with an econometric framework that takes into account possible problems with simultaneity between the economic and political transitions.Their empirical findings clearly reveal that democracy has facilitated economic liberalization in countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.This conclusion is confirmed under various model specifications, for both ordinary and two-stage least squares procedures and using two different measures of liberalization.The econometric results reveal that the existence of a vibrant civil society at the start of the transition has the most explanatory power in the authors' regressions.This paper - a product of the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit, Europe and Central Asia Region - was presented at a seminar at the World Bank in April 1999. The authors may be contacted at Internet address [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

Pathways to Democracy

Pathways to Democracy PDF Author: James Frank Hollifield
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136687041
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
A global examination that includes nations in Latin America, Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, and Africa, Pathways to Democracy investigates the implications of the various paths that nations take to democracy and the political and economic programs needed to stabilize new democracies. From military to authoritarian to communist oligarchies, the essays reveal that democratic transitions were instigated by divisions within the ruling elite, challenges came from groups and interests outside the elite, and poor economic performance followed in its wake. An extensive look at what the United States can do through its foreign policy to promote and invest in democratization is included. An introduction to democratization that is comprehensive and global in scope. Includes comprehensive focus on U.S. foreign policy

The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions

The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions PDF Author: Stephan Haggard
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691188017
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
In the last two decades, there has been a widespread movement from authoritarian to democratic rule among developing countries, often occurring against a backdrop of severe economic crises and the adoption of market-oriented reforms. The coincidence of these events raises long-standing questions about the relationship between economic and political change. In this book, Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman explore this relationship, addressing a variety of questions: What role have economic crises played in the current wave of political liberalization and democratization? Can new democracies manage the daunting political challenges posed by economic reform? Under what economic and institutional conditions is democracy most likely to be consolidated? Drawing on contemporary political economy and the experiences of twelve Latin American and Asian countries, they develop a new approach to understanding democratic transitions. Haggard and Kaufman first analyze the relationship between economic crisis and authoritarian withdrawal and then examine how the economic and institutional legacies of authoritarian rule affect the capacity of new democratic governments to initiate and sustain economic policy reform. Finally, the authors analyze the consolidation of political and economic reform over the long run. Throughout, they emphasize the relationship between economic conditions, the interests and power of contending social groups, and the mediating role of representative institutions, particularly political parties.

Pathways to Freedom

Pathways to Freedom PDF Author: Isobel Coleman
Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press
ISBN: 9780876095669
Category : Democratization
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Many developing countries have launched transitions from authoritarianism to democracy over the past twenty-five years. While some have succeeded in building relatively strong democracies with shared prosperity, others have stumbled. As a wave of change continues to unfold across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, the policy-relevant insights that can be gleaned from recent transitions are more salient than ever. Through case studies on Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine, Pathways to freedom explores the structural factors and policy choices that shaped eight important transitions--some successful, others less so. The case studies focus on six themes: socioeconomic inclusion and exclusion, economic structure and policies, civil society and media, legal system and rule of law, government structure, and education and demography. Additional chapters examine these themes in light of the quantitative evidence on democratization and highlight concrete policy recommendations from across the case studies. With concise historical analysis and forward-looking prescriptions, Pathways to freedom offers an authoritative and accessible look at what countries must do to build durable and prosperous democracies--and what the United States and others can do to help"--Back cover.

Getting it Right

Getting it Right PDF Author: Robert J. Barro
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262522267
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Since 1991, Robert Barro has been a lively contributor to the Wall Street Journal and other popular financial media. Getting It Right brings together, updates, and expands upon these writings that showcase Barro's agility in applying economic understanding to a wide array of social issues. Barro, a "conservative who takes no prisoners," and a self-described libertarian, believes that most governments have gone much too far in their spending, taxation, and regulation. The dominant theme in these wide-ranging essays is the importance of institutions that ensure property rights and free markets. The discussion deals especially with the appropriate range of government: which areas represent useful public policy and which are unnecessary interference. The first section of the book considers these questions in the context of the determinants of long-run economic growth. In addition to basic economics, Barro assesses related political topics, such as the role of public institutions, the optimal size of countries, and the consequences of default on foreign debt. The second section deals with the proper role and form of monetary policy. Barro argues that government should provide markets with a stable nominal framework and then stay out of the way to best allow for price stability. Writings in the third section cover fiscal and other macroeconomic policies. Topics include the distorting influences of taxation, especially taxes on capital income; infrastructure investment and other government spending; and the consequences of public debt and budget deficits. In a final section, Barro looks at more micro issues such as cartels, tax amnesties, school choice, privatization, cigarette-smoking regulation, endangered species regulation, the market for baseball players, and term limits for politicians.

Economic Reform and Democracy

Economic Reform and Democracy PDF Author: Larry Jay Diamond
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
The emergence of new democracies in Eastern Europe has raised anew the question of the relationship between economic reform and political liberalization. This work brings together a group of authorities to examine this question as it relates to Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

When is Democracy Normal?

When is Democracy Normal? PDF Author: Gizachew Tiruneh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
Provides a fresh definition of democracy - one permitting the continuous achievement of a more equal distribution of political power - before discussing the main conditions (economic development, the political process, external influences) responsible for democratic transition and development.

Making Politics Work for Development

Making Politics Work for Development PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464807744
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Governments fail to provide the public goods needed for development when its leaders knowingly and deliberately ignore sound technical advice or are unable to follow it, despite the best of intentions, because of political constraints. This report focuses on two forces—citizen engagement and transparency—that hold the key to solving government failures by shaping how political markets function. Citizens are not only queueing at voting booths, but are also taking to the streets and using diverse media to pressure, sanction and select the leaders who wield power within government, including by entering as contenders for leadership. This political engagement can function in highly nuanced ways within the same formal institutional context and across the political spectrum, from autocracies to democracies. Unhealthy political engagement, when leaders are selected and sanctioned on the basis of their provision of private benefits rather than public goods, gives rise to government failures. The solutions to these failures lie in fostering healthy political engagement within any institutional context, and not in circumventing or suppressing it. Transparency, which is citizen access to publicly available information about the actions of those in government, and the consequences of these actions, can play a crucial role by nourishing political engagement.

The Democracy Advantage, Revised Edition

The Democracy Advantage, Revised Edition PDF Author: Morton Halperin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135153841
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
For decades, policies pursued by the US and other industrialized nations towards the developing world have been based on the belief that democracy and development don't mix. This book makes a case that they do.