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Under the Thumb of History? Political Institutions and the Scope for Action

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  • Abhijit Banerjee
  • Esther Duflo

Abstract

This paper discusses the two leading views of history and political institutions. For some scholars, institutions are mainly products of historical logic, while for others, accidents, leaders, and decisions have a significant impact. We argue that while there is clear evidence that history matters and has long-term effects, there is not enough data to help us distinguish between the two views. Faced with this uncertainty, what is a social scientist to do? We argue that given the possibility that policy decisions indeed make a difference, it makes sense to assume they do and to try to improve policymaking.

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  • Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo, 2014. "Under the Thumb of History? Political Institutions and the Scope for Action," NBER Working Papers 19848, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19848
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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