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Statehood Experience, Legal Traditions and Climate Change Policies

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  • James B. ANG

    (Division of Economics, Nanyang Technological University, 14 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637332.)

  • Per G. Fredriksson

    (Department of Economics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.)

Abstract

This paper investigates how the implementation of modern climate change policies is related to former colonies' length of state history and their legal heritage. We argue that countries with longer statehood experience around the time of colonization were better equipped to implement the legal philosophies transplanted by their colonial powers. Therefore, the implications of receiving British common law versus French civil law should be particularly important in countries with a greater accumulated history of statehood. Using a cross section of up to 78 former colonies, our results provide support for this hypothesis. In particular, our estimates demonstrate that common law countries have weaker modern climate change policies than civil law countries and the difference is in ated by a longer statehood experience, measured by the length of state history from 1-1800 AD. Legal origin has no e ect in areas which, by the time of colonization, had no statehood experience.

Suggested Citation

  • James B. ANG & Per G. Fredriksson, 2016. "Statehood Experience, Legal Traditions and Climate Change Policies," Economic Growth Centre Working Paper Series 1610, Nanyang Technological University, School of Social Sciences, Economic Growth Centre.
    • Handle: RePEc:nan:wpaper:1610
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    Keywords

    Environmental policy; climate change; state antiquity; history; state capacity; legal origins; colonization.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy
    • K23 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Regulated Industries and Administrative Law
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth

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