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Has Democracy Slowed Growth in Asia?

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  • Rock, Michael T.

Abstract

Summary Has democracy slowed growth in Asia? While there are a number of reasons to suggest that it has, no one has tested this hypothesis. Hypotheses linking Asia's democracies and autocracies to growth are tested in a within panel regression framework that controls for country fixed effects, global time fixed effects, the other major variables affecting growth, and for endogeneity between the right-hand side regressors. The democracy slows growth hypothesis is tested against the toughest counterfactual--the bureaucratically capable authoritarian regimes of East Asia's developmentally minded governments. Findings reject the democracy slows growth hypothesis and show that democracy causes growth and investment to rise.

Suggested Citation

  • Rock, Michael T., 2009. "Has Democracy Slowed Growth in Asia?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 941-952, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:37:y:2009:i:5:p:941-952
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    10. Jeffry A. Jacob & Thomas Osang, 2018. "Democracy And Growth: A Dynamic Panel Data Study," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 65(01), pages 41-80, August.
    11. Javier Mejía Cubillos, 2011. "Reflexión Sobre Los Sistemas Partidistas, La Estabilidad De Las Políticas Y El Desarrollo Económico," Contribuciones a las Ciencias Sociales, Servicios Académicos Intercontinentales SL. Hasta 31/12/2022, issue 2011-11, november.
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