Democracy and Development: Political Institutions and Well-Being in the World, 1950–1990

by Adam Przeworski , Michael E. Alvarez , Jose Antonio Cheibub , Fernando Limongi

• ISBN13: 9780521793797
• ISBN10: 0521793793
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-08-28
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Is economic development conducive to political democracy? Does democracy foster or hinder material welfare? These two questions are examined by looking at the experiences of 135 countries between 1950 and 1990. Descriptive information, statistical analyses, and historical narratives are interwoven to gain an understanding of the dynamic of political regimes and their impact on economic development. The often surprising findings dispel any notion of a tradeoff between democracy and development. Economic development does not generate democracies, but democracies are much more likely to survive in wealthy societies.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures	xi
Acknowledgments	xvii
Introduction	1	(1)
Questions	1	(6)
Methods	7	(3)
Plan	10	(3)
Democracies and Dictatorships	13	(65)
Introduction	13	(1)
Democracy and Dictatorship	14	(4)
Operational Rules: Filling Offices by Contested Elections	18	(5)
``Botswana'' and the Alternation Rule	23	(5)
Summary of Rules	28	(2)
Distinguishing among Democracies and Dictatorships	30	(3)
What We Did Not Include	33	(3)
Stability and Change of Political Regimes	36	(15)
Stability and Change of Political Leadership	51	(3)
Conclusion	54	(24)
Alternative Approaches	55	(4)
Classification of Political Regimes, 1950--1990	59	(10)
Basic Data about Regime Dynamics	69	(8)
The ``Short'' Data Base	77	(1)
Economic Development and Political Regimes	78	(64)
Introduction	78	(1)
Development and Democracy	78	(10)
Regime Dynamics	88	(4)
Level of Economic Development and Regime Dynamics	92	(14)
Economic Growth and Regime Dynamics	106	(11)
Income Inequality	117	(5)
Economic Factors in Context	122	(6)
Democratic Institutions and the Sustainability of Democracy	128	(8)
Conclusion	136	(6)
Dynamic Probit Model	137	(2)
Survival Models	139	(3)
Political Regimes and Economic Growth	142	(45)
Introduction	142	(4)
Political Regimes and Economic Growth	146	(12)
Poor and Wealthy Countries	158	(18)
Miracles and Disasters	176	(2)
Conclusion	178	(9)
Identification, Specification, and Robustness	179	(5)
Estimating the Contribution of Public Investment	184	(3)
Political Instability and Economic Growth	187	(29)
Introduction	187	(2)
Contemporaneous Political Upheavals	189	(4)
Past Instability	193	(7)
Expectations	200	(11)
Conclusion	211	(5)
Estimating the Impact of Expectations on Economic Performance	213	(3)
Political Regimes and Population	216	(63)
Total Income, Population, and Per Capita Income	216	(2)
Political Regimes and Population Growth	218	(15)
Explanations	233	(23)
Human Capital, Fertility, and Economic Growth	256	(8)
Conclusion	264	(5)
Calculating Age Structure	265	(4)
Conclusion	269	(10)
Simulation	278	(1)
Appendix I: Selection Model	279	(12)
Selection as a Problem of Identification	279	(2)
Statistical Models of Selection	281	(4)
Statistical Models of Performance	285	(2)
Estimating Selection-Corrected Models of Performance	287	(4)
Appendix II: Codebook	291	(10)
References	301	(12)
Author Index	313	(3)
Country Index	316	(4)
Subject Index	320