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Democracy and institutions in postcolonial Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2016

ALAN GREEN
ALAN GREEN*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Stetson University, DeLand, FL, USA
*
*Email: amg84@cornell.edu
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Abstract

Africa has seen a steady rise in democracy since the end of the Cold War. This paper investigates two possible implications of democratization in African countries: better economic growth through improved institutions and less civil conflict through increased political participation. Instrumental variables regressions are estimated with the spatial lag of democracy. This instrument varies over time, allowing for consideration of country fixed effects in IV regressions. Large positive impacts of institutions on economic growth and of political participation on reducing civil conflict are found in IV regressions with fixed effects. Further estimates show that both growth and civil violence effects may be driven by civil liberties.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Institutional Economics , Volume 14 , Special Issue 2: Special Issue on Colonial Institutions and African Development , April 2018 , pp. 207 - 231
Copyright
Copyright © Millennium Economics Ltd 2016 

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