Are We There Yet? Time for Checks and Balances on New Institutionalism

17 Pages Posted: 20 Oct 2012

See all articles by Murat Iyigun

Murat Iyigun

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics; Harvard University - Center for International Development (CID); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

New institutionalism has had considerable success during the last decade in shepherding the debate on sustained economic development. If the sociopolitical, legal and economic transformations in the Anglo-Saxon world in the last three decades prove anything, however, it is that the late Mancur Olson deserves some long overdue credit. For the relevant question now is why have some constitutional democracies deteriorated to the point of chronic dysfunction with their checks and balances failing. New institutionalists then ought to come to terms with the fact that, in the interest of credible empirical identification, they too narrowly defined what Northian institutions entail. As a matter of fact, political, legal and economic institutions are highly malleable even in advanced economies, while sustained economic growth could well be deep rooted in individual beliefs, social norms and informal cultural organizations.

Keywords: institutions, economic growth, development

JEL Classification: O11, O57, N10

Suggested Citation

Iyigun, Murat F., Are We There Yet? Time for Checks and Balances on New Institutionalism. IZA Discussion Paper No. 6934, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2164663 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2164663

Murat F. Iyigun (Contact Author)

University of Colorado at Boulder - Department of Economics ( email )

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Harvard University - Center for International Development (CID) ( email )

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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