We discuss the two-way link between culture and economic growth. We present a model of endogenous technical change where growth is driven by the innovative activity of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is risky and requires investments that affect the steepness of the lifetime consumption profile....

This research proposes that the geographical distance from the location of the pre-industrial technological frontier has a non-monotonic and persistent effect on development. While remoteness from this frontier diminished imitation, it fostered the emergence of a culture conducive to innovation...

This paper presents an explanation of how the dynamic but uncertain process of economic development and growth occurs. It shows that economic development leads to structural change, an enhancement of capabilities and path dependence in the economy. It examines three different approaches to...

Using data from 286 Chinese cities over the period 2001–2006, this paper investigates the relationship between financial development and economic growth at the city level in China. Our results from both traditional cross-sectional regressions and first-differenced and system GMM estimators for...

Intergenerational inequality and old-age poverty are salient issues in contemporary China. China’s aging population threatens the fiscal sustainability of its pension system, a key vehicle for intergenerational redistribution. We analyze the positive and normative effects of alternative...

Sustainable economic growth and Poverty alleviation is a principal objective of the developing countries. The present study aims to historically review of fiscal policy and its consequences for the economic development of the four South Asian economies i.e. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and...

In a recent paper, Colombier (2009) uses a robust estimation technique and claims to find empirical evidence that government size has not been detrimental to growth for OECD countries during the 1970 to 2001 period, and that endogenous growth theory is not corroborated. We examine the robustness...

In 1795 the British took control of the Cape colony (South Africa) from the Dutch; and in 1843 they exogenously changed the legal basis of landholding, giving more secure property rights to landholders. Since endowments and other factors were held constant, these changes offer clean tests of the...

Purpose – This paper aims to study the importance of initial resource endowments, the savings rate, and financing opportunities for growth and the distribution of income. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a theoretical model of accumulation and applies simulations. The...

This paper surveys the main features of Portuguese economic growth in the last half century, with a particular emphasis on the period after the return to democracy in 1974. It shows that significant structural change and capital deepening were the chief sources of growth in the Portuguese...