When it comes to the inequality-growth relationship, the empirical literature offers contradictory assessments: Estimators based on time-series variation only (i.e., differencesbased estimators) indicate a strong positive link while estimators also exploiting the crosssectional variation (i.e., level-based estimators) suggest a negative relationship. Taking advantage of a new dataset, the prese...

An anti-capitalist cultural bias, through directed within-family human capital transmission, adversely affects the supply of entrepreneurial talent and risk-taking. This limits economic progress if aggregate productivity is low. When productivity is high, economic incentives can overcome cultural inertia. Though the income level depends on culture, the growth rate in this case does not. JEL Cod...

Analysis of the economic effects of constitutional rules has made substantial progress over the last decade. This survey provides an overview of this rapidly growing research area and also discusses a number of methodological issues and identifies underresearched areas. It argues that the next logical step of Positive Constitutional Economics is to endogenize constitutional rules. JEL classific...

Article history: Received 6 January 2012 Revised 20 August 2012 Available online 17 October 2012 JEL classification: F16 F22 F66 J61 O15

This paper documents an increasing intergenerational income persistence in China since economic reforms were introduced 1979. The elasticity increases from 0.390 for the 1970–1980 birth cohort to 0.442 1981–1988 cohort; this increase is more evident among urban and coastal residents than rural inland residents. We also explore how changes correlated with market reforms, development, policy chan...

We assess whether imperfect knowledge of labor regulation hinders job creation at small and medium-sized firms. partner with a law expert organization that provides information about via newsletters access to specialized website. randomly assign 1,800 firms get this service for 21-week period. Six months later, the average employment level treatment was 12 percent higher than control The interv...

Growth, History, or Institutions? What Explains State Fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa We explore the determinants of state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling for a wide range of economic, demographic, geographic and istitutional regressors, we find that institutions, and in particular the civil liberties index and the number of revolutions, are the main determinants of fragility, even...

This paper develops a two-sector growth model in which institutional investors play a significant role. A necessary and suffi cient condition is established under which these investors own the entire capital stock in the long run. The dependence of the long-run growth rate on the behaviour of such investors, and the effects of a productivity increase are analysed. JEL classification. O41, O43 A...

We study how search frictions in the labor market affect firms’ ability to recruit talented workers. In a field experiment Ethiopia, we show that an employer can attract more applicants by offering small monetary incentive for making job application. Estimates from structural model suggest intervention is effective because cost of application large, and positively correlated with jobseeker abil...

Using a strict, age-specific lockdown order for adults aged 65 and older in Turkey, we examine the mental health consequences of an extended period tight mobility restrictions on senior adults. Adopting regression discontinuity design, find that curfew-induced decline substantially worsened outcomes, including somatic nonsomatic symptoms distress (approximately 0.2 standard deviation). Explorin...