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Political Institutions and Economic Policies: Lessons from Africa

Author

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  • HUMPHREYS, MACARTAN
  • BATES, ROBERT

Abstract

Many assert that the economic problems of Africa possess political origins. In particular, they point to a lack of political accountability and argue that economic reform and the renewal of growth depend upon political reform and in particular upon the promotion of competitive electoral politics. Summarizing these arguments, this article formalizes and tests them, using both an African and global sample of data. While it finds support for the view that within Africa – and globally – competitive institutions are associated with less extractive policies, it finds no evidence that these institutions have facilitated the implementation of Washington consensus policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Humphreys, Macartan & Bates, Robert, 2005. "Political Institutions and Economic Policies: Lessons from Africa," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(3), pages 403-428, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:35:y:2005:i:03:p:403-428_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Balding, Christopher, 2011. "A Re-examination of the Relation between Democracy and International Trade The Case of Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 059, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Takaaki Masaki & Nicolas van de Walle, 2014. "The Impact of Democracy on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1982-2012," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-057, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. David Stasavage, 2005. "Democracy and Education Spending in Africa," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(2), pages 343-358, April.
    4. Robert H. Bates, 2005. "Political Reform," CID Working Papers 114, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    5. Augustin Kwasi Fosu, 2022. "Institutions and African Economic Development," Working Papers 202202, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    6. Vaaler, Paul M., 2006. "Electoral Politics and Foreign Project Investment in Developing Countries," Working Papers 06-0125, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    7. Augustin Kwasi Fosu, 2017. "Governance and development in Africa: A concise review," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 082017, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Augustin Kwasi Fosu, 2020. "Democracy and Development in Africa," Working Papers 202026, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    9. Litha Mini & Clement Moyo & Andrew Phiri, 2025. "Governance, institutional quality and economic complexity in selected African countries," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 159-181, February.
    10. Gultom, Yohanna M.L., 2021. "When extractive political institutions affect public-private partnerships: Empirical evidence from Indonesia's independent power producers under two political regimes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    11. Masaki, Takaaki & van de Walle, Nicolas, 2014. "The impact of democracy on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa, 1982-2012," WIDER Working Paper Series 057, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    12. Nose, Manabu, 2014. "Triggers of contract breach : contract design, shocks, or institutions ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6738, The World Bank.
    13. Maria Petrova & Robert H. Bates, 2012. "Evolution of Risk and Political Regimes," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 200-225, July.
    14. Robert Bates, 2010. "A Review of Douglass C. North, John Joseph Wallis, and Barry R. Weingast's Violence and Social Orders: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(3), pages 752-756, September.
    15. Susana Ferreira & Jeffrey Vincent, 2010. "Governance and Timber Harvests," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 47(2), pages 241-260, October.
    16. John M. Luiz, 2009. "Institutions and economic performance: Implications for African development," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(1), pages 58-75.
    17. Christopher Balding, 2011. "A Re-examination of the Relation between Democracy and International Trade: The Case of Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2011-059, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    18. Caselli, Francesco & Cunningham, Tom, 2009. "Leader behavior and the natural resource curse," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 25430, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    19. Bluhm, Richard & Szirmai, Adam, 2012. "Institutions and long-run growth performance: An analytic literature review of the institutional determinants of economic growth," MERIT Working Papers 2012-033, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    20. Voxi Heinrich AMAVILAH, 2016. "Social Obstacles to Technology, Technological Change, and the Economic Growth of African Countries: Some Anecdotal Evidence from Economic History," Turkish Economic Review, KSP Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 320-340, June.
    21. Augustin Fosu, 2018. "Working Paper 298 - Governance and Development in Africa: A Review Essay," Working Paper Series 2425, African Development Bank.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • O0 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - General

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