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Why are civil liberties more important than executive constraints in economic development? A property rights approach

Author

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  • Pál Czeglédi

    (University of Debrecen, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Debrecen, Hungary)

Abstract

This paper develops a simple model that helps understand an important fact concerning cross-country pattern of growth and institutions shown by BenYishay and Betancourt (2010). They show that civil freedoms, especially one of their components called Autonomy and Individual Rights, are more important determinants of economic development than constraints on executives, a widely used measure in the literature on institutions and growth. The paper provides an interpretation of this fact through the lense of an argument that puts emphasis on three insights. The first is that civil freedoms can be seen as property rights broadly understood. The second is that with a higher scope of property rights enforced, the government must be able to commit to a lower level of expropriation of income. Third, institutions of freedom are sticky: they must be in line with the culture of the country so that they can be enforced with a reasonable cost. By addressing this specific question of constraints on executives versus civil freedoms the paper joins the literature which emphasizes the importance of culture in economic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Pál Czeglédi, 2014. "Why are civil liberties more important than executive constraints in economic development? A property rights approach," Society and Economy, Akadémiai Kiadó, Hungary, vol. 36(1), pages 37-68, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:aka:soceco:v:36:y:2014:i:1:p:37-68
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Abdul Aleem Najam & Muhammad Zahid Naeem & Birau Ramona & Ninulescu Petre Valeriu, 2023. "Investigating The Impact Of Civil Liberties And Creative Class On Innovation Output And Economic Growth: An Empirical Case Study For Pakistan," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 3, pages 14-31, June.
    2. Vladimír Holý & Tomáš Evan, 2022. "The role of a nation’s culture in the country’s governance: Stochastic frontier analysis," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 30(2), pages 507-520, June.
    3. Vladim'ir Hol'y & Tom'av{s} Evan, 2021. "The Role of a Nation's Culture in the Country's Governance: Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Papers 2102.05411, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2021.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    civil liberties; property rights; development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • P14 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Property Rights
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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