Pillars of Prosperity : The Political Economics of Development Clusters

Timothy Besley

ISBN 10: 0691158150 / ISBN 13: 9780691158150

Edité par Princeton University Press Feb 2013, 2013

A propos de cet article

Neuware - 'This book is a must-read for any serious student of development economics and political economy. Besley and Persson provide a rich framework for understanding the evolution of economic, legal, and political institutions, and rightly place the state at its center. Their emphasis on fiscal and legal capacity and political violence is particularly apt. This work will inspire, motivate, and challenge many generations of researchers and students.'--Daron Acemoglu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9780691158150

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Pillars of Prosperity : The Political Economics of Development Clusters
• Éditeur: Princeton University Press Feb 2013
• Date de parution: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0691158150
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780691158150
• Reliure: Taschenbuch
• État de l'article: Neu
• Dimensions: 226 L x 146 H x 30 P (en millimètres) 226 millimètres de largeur par 146 millimètres de hauteur par 30 millimètres de profondeur
• Poids: 518 grammes

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

How nations can promote peace, prosperity, and stability through cohesive political institutions

"Little else is required to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice; all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things." So wrote Adam Smith a quarter of a millennium ago. Using the tools of modern political economics and combining economic theory with a bird's-eye view of the data, this book reinterprets Smith's pillars of prosperity to explain the existence of development clusters-places that tend to combine effective state institutions, the absence of political violence, and high per-capita incomes.

To achieve peace, the authors stress the avoidance of repressive government and civil conflict. Easy taxes, they argue, refers not to low taxes, but a tax system with widespread compliance that collects taxes at a reasonable cost from a broad base, like income. And a tolerable administration of justice is about legal infrastructure that can support the enforcement of contracts and property rights in line with the rule of law. The authors show that countries tend to enjoy all three pillars of prosperity when they have evolved cohesive political institutions that promote common interests, guaranteeing the provision of public goods. In line with much historical research, international conflict has also been an important force behind effective states by fostering common interests. The absence of common interests and/or cohesive political institutions can explain the existence of very different development clusters in fragile states that are plagued by poverty, violence, and weak state capacity.

À propos de l?auteur

Timothy Besley is the School Professor of Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Torsten Persson is the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Chair in Economic Sciences and professor of economics at the Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm University.