IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ipf/finteo/v29y2005i4p279-308.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The quality of governance and economic growth in Croatia

Author

Listed:
  • Marijana Badjun

    (Faculty of Economics, Zagreb)

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to show the justification and importance of explicit inclusion of quality of governance in the debate on economic growth in Croatia. Governance is defined as the manner in which the state employs its power in handling the institutional environment, thus affecting the accumulation of economic growth factors. Although there are numerous elements in the quality of governance, this paper places the emphasis on the whole on two of them: the rule of law and the quality of the public administration. In pursuit of its objective, the paper first of all considers the links between governance and economic growth in growth theory and empirical research to date. After that an econometric (panel) analysis of quality of governance and economic growth on a sample of EU countries and Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania (EU accession candidate countries) is performed, and then changes in the quality of governance in Croatia are considered. From a comparison of the values of indicators of the rule of law and quality of the public administration, and the dynamics and nature of reform in the administration of justice and the civil service, it appears that those in whom power is vested in Croatia are more focused on rent-seeking than is the case in the average of EU countries. Institutional shortcomings have affected the current level of real per capita GDP in Croatia, and more rapid and effective reforms of the justice and public administration sectors, as well as fighting corruption and boosting democracy (as mechanism for controlling those in whom power is vested) would have a positive effect on future economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Marijana Badjun, 2005. "The quality of governance and economic growth in Croatia," Financial Theory and Practice, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(4), pages 279-308.
    • Handle: RePEc:ipf:finteo:v:29:y:2005:i:4:p:279-308
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.ijf.hr/eng/FTP/2005/4/badjun.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Simeon Djankov & Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2002. "The Regulation of Entry," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 1-37.
    2. Daniel Kaufmann & Aart Kraay, 2002. "Growth without Governance," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Fall 2002), pages 169-230, August.
    3. Beck, T.H.L. & Laeven, L., 2006. "Institution building and growth in transition economies," Other publications TiSEM b872919e-8dac-46d6-9c0a-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Acemoglu, Daron & Johnson, Simon & Robinson, James A., 2005. "Institutions as a Fundamental Cause of Long-Run Growth," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 6, pages 385-472, Elsevier.
    5. Campos, Nauro F., 2000. "Context is everything : measuring institutional change in transition economies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2269, The World Bank.
    6. Edward L. Glaeser & Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2004. "Do Institutions Cause Growth?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 271-303, September.
    7. Thorsten Beck & Luc Laeven, 2006. "Institution building and growth in transition economies," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 157-186, June.
    8. Nauro F. Campos & Abrizio Coricelli, 2002. "Growth in Transition: What We Know, What We Don't, and What We Should," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(3), pages 793-836, September.
    9. Dani Rodrik & Tain-Jy Chen, 1998. "TFPG Controversies, Institutions and Economic Performance in East Asia," International Economic Association Series, in: Yujiro Hayami & Masahiko Aoki (ed.), The Institutional Foundations of East Asian Economic Development, chapter 4, pages 79-105, Palgrave Macmillan.
    10. Feld, Lars P. & Voigt, Stefan, 2003. "Economic growth and judicial independence: cross-country evidence using a new set of indicators," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 497-527, September.
    11. Vito Tanzi, 1998. "Corruption Around the World: Causes, Consequences, Scope, and Cures," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 45(4), pages 559-594, December.
    12. Luc Moers, 1998. "Growth Empirics with Institutional Measures and its Application to Transition Countries: A Survey," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 98-126/2, Tinbergen Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eicher, Theo S. & Schreiber, Till, 2010. "Structural policies and growth: Time series evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 169-179, January.
    2. Milan Žák & Petr Vymětal, 2006. "Institucionální aspekty nové komparativní ekonomie: ČR a EU [Institutional aspects of new comparative economy: Czech republic and European union]," Politická ekonomie, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2006(5), pages 583-609.
    3. Falkinger, Josef & Grossmann, Volker, 2005. "Distribution of Natural Resources, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development: Growth Dynamics with Two Elites," IZA Discussion Papers 1756, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Beck, Thorsten, 2010. "Legal Institutions and Economic Development," CEPR Discussion Papers 8139, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Claessens, Stijn & Perotti, Enrico, 2007. "Finance and inequality: Channels and evidence," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 748-773, December.
    6. Beck, T.H.L., 2010. "Legal Institutions and Economic Development," Other publications TiSEM 8aa07b48-ce55-4cf6-8754-7, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Marta Spreafico, 2013. "Institutions, the resource curse and the transition economies: further evidence," DISCE - Working Papers del Dipartimento di Politica Economica ispe0064, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    8. Thorsten Beck & Luc Laeven, 2006. "Institution building and growth in transition economies," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 157-186, June.
    9. Abdoul’ Mijiyawa, 2013. "Determinants of property rights institutions: survey of literature and new evidence," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 127-183, May.
    10. Samarasinghe, Tharanga, 2018. "Impact of Governance on Economic Growth," MPRA Paper 89834, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Petar Stankov, 2018. "Deregulation, Economic Growth and Growth Acceleration," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 43(4), pages 21-40, December.
    12. Krammer, Sorin M.S., 2015. "Do good institutions enhance the effect of technological spillovers on productivity? Comparative evidence from developed and transition economies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 133-154.
    13. Halkos, George & Paizanos, Epameinondas, 2015. "Fiscal policy and economic performance: A review of the theoretical and empirical literature," MPRA Paper 67737, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Sazzadul Arefin, 2019. "Geographic Endowment, Corruption, and Economic Development," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 9(1), pages 1-32, March.
    15. Congdon Fors, Heather & Olsson, Ola, 2007. "Endogenous institutional change after independence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(8), pages 1896-1921, November.
    16. Haggard, Stephan & Tiede, Lydia, 2011. "The Rule of Law and Economic Growth: Where are We?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 673-685, May.
    17. Alexander Salhi & Andreas Kern & Martin Rößler, 2010. "Growth Patterns in the CIS-8: A Political Economy Approach," Transition Studies Review, Springer;Central Eastern European University Network (CEEUN), vol. 17(4), pages 686-708, December.
    18. Glawe, Linda & Wagner, Helmut, 2021. "Convergence, divergence, or multiple steady states? New evidence on the institutional development within the European Union," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 860-884.
    19. Francesco Caselli & Nicola Gennaioli, 2008. "Economics and Politics of Alternative Institutional Reforms," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(3), pages 1197-1250.
    20. Maria Kravtsova & Aleksey Oshchepkov, 2019. "Market And Network Corruption," HSE Working papers WP BRP 209/EC/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    governance; economic growth; Croatia; rule of law; public administration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ipf:finteo:v:29:y:2005:i:4:p:279-308. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Martina Fabris (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ijfffhr.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.