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Democracy and economic growth : a meta-analysis
journal contribution
posted on 2008-01-01, 00:00 authored by H Doucouliagos, Mehmet UlubasogluMehmet UlubasogluDespite a sizeable theoretical and empirical literature, no firm conclusions have been drawn regarding the impact of political democracy on economic growth. This article challenges the consensus of an inconclusive relationship through a quantitative assessment of the democracy-growth literature. It applies meta-regression analysis to the population of 483 estimates derived from 84 studies on democracy and growth. Using traditional meta-analysis estimators, the bootstrap, and Fixed and Random Effects meta-regression models, it derives several robust conclusions. Taking all the available published evidence together, it concludes that democracy does not have a direct impact on economic growth. However, democracy has robust, significant, and positive indirect effects through higher human capital, lower inflation, lower political instability, and higher levels of economic freedom. Democracies may also be associated with larger governments and less free international trade. There also appear to be country- and region-specific democracy-growth effects. Overall, democracy's net effect on the economy does not seem to be detrimental.
History
Journal
American journal of political scienceVolume
52Issue
1Pagination
61 - 83Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell PublishingLocation
Malden, Mass.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0092-5853eISSN
1540-5907Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2008, Midwest Political Science AssociationUsage metrics
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