Stephen Knack

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

Senior Research Economist

1818 H. Street, N.W.

MSN3-311

Washington, DC 20433

United States

http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/sknack

  • World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

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    • Tel: 202-458-9712
SCHOLARLY PAPERS

43

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258

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480

Scholarly Papers (43)

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1.

Trust and Growth

Downloads 5,189 ( 2,283)
Citation 80

Trust and Growth

Number of pages: 40 Posted: 18 Oct 1998
Paul J. Zak and Stephen Knack
Claremont Graduate University - Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 5,189 (2,249)
Citation 80

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Trust and Growth

Posted: 08 Apr 2002
Paul J. Zak and Stephen Knack
Claremont Graduate University - Center for Neuroeconomics Studies and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

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Trust, Growth, Moral Hazard, Heterogeneity, Inequality, Discrimination, Uncertainty

2.

Gender and Corruption

IRIS Center Working Paper No. 232
Number of pages: 33 Posted: 15 Feb 2001
Anand Swamy, Young Lee, Omar Azfar and Stephen Knack
Williams College, University of Maryland - Center on Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS), University of Maryland - Center on Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 1,871 (12,583)
Citation 35

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gender, corruption, women

3.

Does Foreign Aid Promote Democracy?

IRIS Center Working Paper No. 238
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 08 Mar 2001
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 1,848 (12,809)
Citation 4

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democracy, aid, foreign aid

4.

The Effect of Aid on Growth: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

Downloads 1,716 ( 14,452)
Citation 11

The Effect of Aid on Growth: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

Number of pages: 60 Posted: 25 Feb 2014 Last Revised: 26 Mar 2015
Sebastian Galiani, Stephen Knack, Lixin Colin Xu, Lixin Colin Xu and Ben Zou
University of Maryland - Department of Economics, World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Michigan State University - Department of Economics
Downloads 1,591 (15,918)
Citation 2

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Aid effectiveness; growth; causal effect and quasi-experiment

The Effect of Aid on Growth: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6865
Number of pages: 55 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Sebastian Galiani, Stephen Knack, Lixin Colin Xu, Lixin Colin Xu and Ben Zou
University of Maryland - Department of Economics, World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Michigan State University - Department of Economics
Downloads 104 (355,660)
Citation 8

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Achieving Shared Growth, Economic Theory & Research, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Inequality, Country Strategy & Performance

The Effect of Aid on Growth: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

NBER Working Paper No. w22164
Number of pages: 68 Posted: 11 Apr 2016 Last Revised: 23 Jan 2022
Sebastian Galiani, Stephen Knack, Lixin Colin Xu, Lixin Colin Xu and Ben Zou
University of Maryland - Department of Economics, World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Michigan State University - Department of Economics
Downloads 21 (715,956)

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5.

Measuring Corruption in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A Critique of the Cross-Country Indicators

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3968
Number of pages: 64 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 1,343 (20,900)
Citation 8

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Governance Indicators, Poverty Monitoring & Analysis, Scientific Research & Science Parks, Science Education, Corruption & Anitcorruption Law

6.

Building Trust: Public Policy, Interpersonal Trust, and Economic Development

Number of pages: 22 Posted: 01 May 2002
Stephen Knack and Paul J. Zak
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Claremont Graduate University - Center for Neuroeconomics Studies
Downloads 880 (38,530)
Citation 41

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Trust, Growth, Policy, Education, Inequality

7.

Aid Dependence and the Quality of Governance: A Cross-Country Empirical Analysis

Number of pages: 39 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 437 (93,969)
Citation 11

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8.

Social Capital and the Quality of Government: Evidence from the United States

Number of pages: 35 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 405 (102,609)
Citation 15

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9.

The Worldwide Governance Indicators and Tautology: Causally Related Separable Concepts, Indicators of a Common Cause, or Both?

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4669
Number of pages: 31 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Laura Langbein and Stephen Knack
American University - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 369 (114,163)

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Governance Indicators, National Governance, Public Sector Corruption & Anticorruption Measures, Statistical & Mathematical Sciences, Information Security & Privacy

10.

Aid Quality and Donor Rankings

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5290
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack, F. Halsey Rogers and Nicholas Eubank
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank and Vanderbilt Center for Study of Democratic Institutions
Downloads 357 (118,435)
Citation 1

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Gender and Health, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Economic Adjustment and Lending, Disability, Poverty Monitoring & Analysis

11.

Boondoggles and Expropriation: Rent-Seeking and Policy Distortion When Property Rights are Insecure

Number of pages: 32 Posted: 10 Dec 2002
Philip Keefer and Stephen Knack
Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 343 (123,736)

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12.

Polarization, Politics, and Property Rights: Links between Inequality and Growth

Number of pages: 36 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Philip Keefer and Stephen Knack
Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 290 (147,694)
Citation 9

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13.

Social Capital and the Quality of Government: Evidence from the U.S. States

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 2504
Number of pages: 38 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 274 (156,342)
Citation 7

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National Governance, Economic Theory &Research, Poverty Assessment, Health Economics &Finance, Social Capital

14.

International Aid and Financial Crises in Donor Countries

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5162
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Hai-Anh Dang, Stephen Knack and F. Halsey Rogers
World Bank - Development Data Group (DECDG), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and World Bank
Downloads 261 (164,258)
Citation 3

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Economic Conditions and Volatility, Labor Policies, Debt Markets, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Banks & Banking Reform

15.

Donor Fragmentation and Bureaucratic Quality in Aid Recipients

Number of pages: 32 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack and Aminur Rahman
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and University College London
Downloads 256 (167,465)
Citation 8

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16.

Foreign Aid and Market-Liberalizing Reform

Downloads 248 (172,670)
Citation 25

Foreign Aid and Market-Liberalizing Reform

Number of pages: 35 Posted: 22 Apr 2005
Jac C. Heckelman and Stephen Knack
Wake Forest University - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 247 (172,801)
Citation 4

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Foreign Aid and Market-Liberalizing Reform

Economica, Vol. 75, No. 299, pp. 524-548, August 2008
Number of pages: 25 Posted: 17 Jul 2008
Jac C. Heckelman and Stephen Knack
Wake Forest University - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 1 (930,537)

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17.

Individual and Country-Level Factors Affecting Support for Foreign Aid

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4714
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack and Pamela Paxton
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and University of Texas at Austin
Downloads 233 (183,278)
Citation 6

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Post Conflict Reconstruction, Gender and Health, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Foreign Aid, Disability

18.

Aid and Trust in Country Systems

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5005
Number of pages: 58 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack and Nicholas Eubank
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Vanderbilt Center for Study of Democratic Institutions
Downloads 163 (252,207)

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Gender and Health, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Economic Theory & Research, Disability, Microfinance

19.

Social Polarization, Political Institutions, and Country Creditworthiness

Number of pages: 36 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Philip Keefer and Stephen Knack
Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 159 (257,631)

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20.

How Does the World Bank Influence the Development Policy Priorities of Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries?

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 9225
Number of pages: 55 Posted: 01 May 2020 Last Revised: 06 May 2020
Stephen Knack, Bradley Christopher Parks, Ani Harutyunyan and Matthew DiLorenzo
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), affiliation not provided to SSRN, Sunwater Institute and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 141 (283,507)
Citation 2

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Inequality, Disability, Access of Poor to Social Services, Economic Assistance, Services & Transfers to Poor, Health Care Services Industry, Educational Sciences, Macroeconomic Management

21.

Are Larger Countries Really More Corrupt?

Number of pages: 30 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Omar Azfar and Stephen Knack
University of Maryland - Center on Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 129 (303,531)

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22.

World Bank Lending and the Quality of Economic Policy

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6924
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Lodewijk Smets and Stephen Knack
KU Leuven - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance (LICOS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 109 (342,165)
Citation 2

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Banks & Banking Reform, Economic Adjustment and Lending, Economic Theory & Research, Debt Markets, Public Sector Corruption & Anticorruption Measures

23.

Donor Fragmentation and Bureaucratic Quality in Aid Recipients

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3186
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack and Aminur Rahman
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and World Bank
Downloads 96 (371,902)

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Public Health Promotion, Health Monitoring & Evaluation, Decentralization, Health Economics & Finance, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, ICT Policy and Strategies, Economic Adjustment and Lending

24.

Which Donors, Which Funds? The Choice of Multilateral Funds by Bilateral Donors at the World Bank

Downloads 95 (374,321)
Citation 7

Which Donors, Which Funds? The Choice of Multilateral Funds by Bilateral Donors at the World Bank

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7441
Number of pages: 38 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Bernhard Reinsberg, Katharina Michaelowa and Stephen Knack
University of Cambridge, University of Zurich - Centre for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 58 (498,502)
Citation 2

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Non Governmental Organizations, Public Sector Management and Reform, Economics and Institutions

Which Donors, Which Funds? The Choice of Multilateral Funds by Bilateral Donors at the World Bank

Number of pages: 47 Posted: 13 Jul 2014
Bernhard Reinsberg, Katharina Michaelowa and Stephen Knack
University of Cambridge, University of Zurich - Centre for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 37 (601,746)

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Trust funds, multilateral funds, World Bank, aid allocation

25.

Sovereign Rents and the Quality of Tax Policy and Administration

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4773
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 92 (381,952)

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26.

Deterring Kickbacks and Encouraging Entry in Public Procurement Markets: Evidence from Firm Surveys in 88 Developing Countries

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8078
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 13 Jun 2017
Stephen Knack, Nataliya Biletska and Kanishka Kacker
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank and World Bank
Downloads 77 (424,542)
Citation 1

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Marketing, Non Governmental Organizations, Private Sector Economics, Economics and Institutions, Public Sector Management and Reform, Private Sector Development Law

27.

Interactions Among Donors'Aid Allocations: Evidence from an Exogenous World Bank Income Threshold

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7039
Number of pages: 29 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack, Lixin Colin Xu, Lixin Colin Xu and Ben Zou
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Michigan State University - Department of Economics
Downloads 77 (424,542)

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Fiscal & Monetary Policy, Public Sector Management and Reform, Non Governmental Organizations, Consumption, Economics and Institutions

28.

Moving Up the Ladder: An Analysis of IDA Graduation Policy

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 9208
Number of pages: 20 Posted: 09 Apr 2020 Last Revised: 10 Apr 2020
Anton Dobronogov, Stephen Knack and James Michael Wilson
World Bank, World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 72 (440,370)

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29.

World Bank Policy Lending and the Quality of Public Sector Governance

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7267
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Lodewijk Smets and Stephen Knack
KU Leuven - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance (LICOS) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 70 (447,064)
Citation 1

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Public Sector Management and Reform, Economics and Institutions, Non Governmental Organizations

30.

When Do Donors Trust Recipient Country Systems?

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6019
Number of pages: 48 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 67 (457,393)

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Gender and Health, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Disability, Coastal and Marine Environment, Microfinance

31.

Poverty and Policy Selectivity of World Bank Trust Funds

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7731
Number of pages: 30 Posted: 19 Jul 2016
Vera Z. Eichenauer and Stephen Knack
KOF Swiss Economic Institute at ETH Zurich and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 64 (468,083)

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Economics and Institutions, Public Sector Management and Reform, Conflict and Fragile States, Non Governmental Organizations

32.

Crossing the Threshold: An Analysis of Ibrd Graduation Policy

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5531
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Jac C. Heckelman, Stephen Knack and F. Halsey Rogers
Wake Forest University - Department of Economics, World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and World Bank
Downloads 63 (471,763)
Citation 1

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Economic Theory & Research, Emerging Markets, Banks & Banking Reform, Labor Policies, Debt Markets

33.

Unbundling Institutions for External Finance: Worldwide Firm-Level Evidence

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7287
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack, Lixin Colin Xu and Lixin Colin Xu
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 62 (475,487)
Citation 1

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Private Sector Economics, Marketing, Private Sector Development Law

34.

Building or Bypassing Recipient Country Systems: Are Donors Defying the Paris Declaration?

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6423
Number of pages: 46 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 58 (490,942)

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Technology Industry, Gender and Health, Poverty Monitoring & Analysis, Microfinance, Public Sector Expenditure Policy

35.

Aid Tying and Donor Fragmentation

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5934
Number of pages: 29 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack and Lodewijk Smets
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and KU Leuven - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance (LICOS)
Downloads 58 (490,942)
Citation 1

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Gender and Health, Development Economics & Aid Effectiveness, Disability, School Health, Economic Theory & Research

36.

Taxation Without Representation? Experimental Evidence from Ghana and Uganda on Citizen Action Toward Taxes, Oil, and Aid

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8137
Number of pages: 56 Posted: 24 Jul 2017
Brandon de la Cuesta, Helen V. Milner, Daniel L. Nielson and Stephen Knack
Stanford University, Princeton University - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Brigham Young University and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 40 (572,445)

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Public Finance Decentralization and Poverty Reduction, Macro-Fiscal Policy, Public Sector Economics, Global Environment, Economic Adjustment and Lending, Non Governmental Organizations, Taxation & Subsidies, Economics and Institutions, Public Sector Management and Reform

37.

The Correlation between Human Capital and Morality and its Effect on Economic Performance: Theory and Evidence

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5720
Number of pages: 51 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
David J. Balan and Stephen Knack
U.S. Federal Trade Commission and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 38 (582,826)
Citation 2

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Educational Sciences, Teaching and Learning, Economic Theory & Research, Ethics & Belief Systems, Statistical & Mathematical Sciences

38.

On the Delegation of Aid Implementation to Multilateral Agencies

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7455
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Kurt Annen and Stephen Knack
University of Guelph - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 36 (593,908)
Citation 1

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Public Sector Management and Reform, Economics and Institutions, Non Governmental Organizations

39.

Political Ideology, Quality at Entry and the Success of Economic Reform Programs

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6130
Number of pages: 36 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Lodewijk Smets, Stephen Knack and Nadia Molenaers
KU Leuven - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance (LICOS), World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and University of Antwerp - Institute of Development Policy and Management
Downloads 34 (605,271)
Citation 1

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Economic Adjustment and Lending, Banks & Banking Reform, Public Sector Corruption & Anticorruption Measures, Economic Theory & Research, Debt Markets

40.

It's Only Words: Validating the Cpia Governance Assessments

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6526
Number of pages: 46 Posted: 20 Apr 2016
Stephen Knack
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 26 (656,475)

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Regional Economic Development, Banks & Banking Reform, National Governance, Governance Indicators, E-Business

41.

Better Policies from Policy-Selective Aid?

World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 8889
Number of pages: 27 Posted: 06 Aug 2019
Kurt Annen and Stephen Knack
University of Guelph - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 17 (726,059)

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Global Environment, Coastal and Marine Resources, Energy and Natural Resources, International Trade and Trade Rules, Inequality, Social Protections & Assistance

42.

Aid, Economic Freedom, and Growth

Contemporary Economic Policy, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 46-53, January 2009
Number of pages: 8 Posted: 26 Jan 2009
Jac C. Heckelman and Stephen Knack
Wake Forest University - Department of Economics and World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)
Downloads 3 (863,237)
Citation 4

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43.

Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation

Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. CXII, Issue 4 (November 1997)
Posted: 24 Jun 1998
Stephen Knack and Philip Keefer
World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) and Inter-American Development Bank

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