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Lawyers and Politicians: The Impact of Organized Legal Professions on Institutional Reforms

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Author Info
Peter Grajzl () (Department of Economics, Central European University)
Peter Murrell () (Department of Economics, University of Maryland)

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Abstract

Organized legal professions are typically viewed by economists as rent-seeking interest groups. Starting from the observation that the legal professions have been central in institutional development in countries with the highest quality institutions, we add a different perspective, developing a model that identifies the link between the role of organized professions and the quality of reform. Professional review of interest-group reform proposals solves informational problems when the government's longevity is uncertain. This occurs even though the only direct effect of the organized profession is the one that usually attracts negative commentary, delay caused by deliberation. The profession's expertise makes the delay credible. The model predicts how the role of organized legal professions varies with democracy and political stability, showing that these are substitutes. Professional power and democracy are also substitutes. The predictions cast new light on why 1688 in England and 1789 in France had such different consequences, why the role of legal professions might be weaker in early post-communist transition than in the USSR, why transitions from autocracy are path dependent, why and when civil law and common law systems differ, and why post-independence institutions are of higher quality in settler than in extractive colonies. The paper foreshadows a rigorous analysis of civil society's contribution to economic development.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Maryland, Department of Economics in its series Electronic Working Papers with number 04-002.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 56 pages
Date of creation: Oct 2004
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:umd:umdeco:04-002

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Department of Economics, University of Maryland, Tydings Hall, College Park, MD 20742
Web page: http://www.econ.umd.edu/

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Postal: Ms. Elizabeth Martinez, Department of Economics, University of Maryland, Tydings Hall, College Park, MD 20742
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For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Peter Murrell).

Related research
Keywords: Organized professions; legal profession; institutional reform; interest groups; civil society; civil law and common law; colonies; Soviet Union; Louis XIV; Glorious Revolution;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Models of Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information
H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General
N40 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, and Regulation - - - General, International, or Comparative
P51 - Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Analysis of Economic Systems

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