scholarly journals Bureaucracy and Growth

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (14) ◽  
pp. 2246-2282
Author(s):  
Agnes Cornell ◽  
Carl Henrik Knutsen ◽  
Jan Teorell

We revisit the hypothesis that a Weberian bureaucracy enhances economic growth. Theoretically, we develop arguments for why such a bureaucracy may enhance growth and discuss plausible counterarguments. Empirically, we use new measures capturing various Weberian features in countries across the world, with some time series extending back to 1789. The evidence base from previous large- N studies is surprisingly thin, but our extensive data enable us to move beyond the problematic cross-country correlations used in previous studies. Hence, we conduct tests that control for country-specific characteristics while ensuring sufficient variation on the slow-moving bureaucracy variables to enable precise estimation. Our analysis suggests that previous cross-country regressions have vastly overstated the strength of the relationship. While this casts uncertainty on the proposition that there is an effect of Weberian bureaucracy on growth, our further analysis suggests that—if an effect exists—it may operate in the short term and be stronger in recent decades.

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2S11) ◽  
pp. 3760-3763 ◽  

The article discusses the relationship between the development of fuel and energy Uzbekistan with GDP growth (gross domestic product). Data are provided on the forecast growth rates of the world economy, the average developed countries and Uzbekistan, factors for ensuring GDP growth in tandem with the efficiency of the use of fuel and energy resources. Based on the cross-country regression analysis, the model of the influence of the energy system performance index (EAPI) on GDP growth is shown.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0252336
Author(s):  
Isaac Lyatuu ◽  
Georg Loss ◽  
Andrea Farnham ◽  
Mirko S. Winkler ◽  
Günther Fink

While a substantial amount of literature addresses the relationship between natural resources and economic growth, relatively little is known regarding the relationship between natural resource endowment and health at the population level. We construct a 5-year cross-country panel to assess the impact of natural resource rents on changes in life expectancy at birth as a proxy indicator for population health during the period 1970–2015. To estimate the causal effects of interest, we use global commodity prices as instrumental variables for natural resource rent incomes in two-stage-least squares regressions. Controlling for country and year fixed effects, we show that each standard deviation increase in resource rents results in life expectancy increase of 6.72% (CI: 2.01%, 11.44%). This corresponds to approximately one additional year of life expectancy gained over five years. We find a larger positive effect of rents on life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) compared to other world regions. We do not find short-term effects of rents on economic growth, but show that increases in resource rents result in sizeable increases in government revenues in the short run, which likely translate into increased spending across government sectors. This suggests that natural resources can help governments finance health and other development-oriented programs needed to improve population health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-187
Author(s):  
I. E. Digel ◽  
Zh. G. Imangali ◽  
E. I. Borisova

The difficulty of conducting an empirical assessment of the true extent of corruption, caused by the lack of the necessary data, has contributed to the emergence of a new round of research focusing on the study of the influence of various factors on corruption. At the same time, such studies are distinguished by a variety of approaches to the choice of indicators and objects of study, as well as by the difference, and sometimes contradictory conclusions. These circumstances actualize the research topic. The purpose of the article to determine the relationship between corruption, economic growth and the quality of life of the population in five countries of the world, representing different parts of the world and geo-economics regions. The hypothesis of the study is the assertion that for developed countries the correlation between perceptions of corruption and indicators will be lower than for developing countries. The objects of research are Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany, USA and Finland. The subject of the research the relationship between the level of corruption, economic growth and the quality of life of the population. The study uses statistical research methods. The initial data of the study were the reports of Transparency International on the Corruption Perceptions Index, UNDP on the Human Development Index, as well as official data from the state statistical services of the countries in question.In the course of the work, the boundaries of the interpretation of the term “corruption” were determined, the relevance of the study of the relationship between corruption, GDP per capita and the quality of life was briefly described, and a correlation analysis was carried out between the indicators. The results of the study represent conclusions about the quality and strength of the relationship between corruption, economic growth and the quality of life of the population. The scientific contribution of the research is to substantiate possible directions for improving research to establish the relationship between corruption and other socio-economic indicators. The practical significance of the study lies in the presentation of the evidence base for the fact that the relationship of the studied indicators may be different in different countries. The direction for future research is the possibility of using the assessment methodology for other groups of countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changhong Zhao ◽  
Yu Guo ◽  
Jiahai Yuan ◽  
Mengya Wu ◽  
Daiyu Li ◽  
...  

Nowadays, listed companies around the world are shifting from short-term goals of maximizing profits to long-term sustainable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. People have come to realize that ESG has become an important source of the corporate risk and may affect the company’s financial performance and profitability. Recent research shows that good ESG performance could improve the financial performance in some countries. Yet, the question of “how does ESG affect financial performance” has not been thoroughly discussed and studied in China. In this article, we study China’s listed power generation groups to explore the relationship between ESG performance and financial indicators in the energy power market based on the panel regression model. The results show that good ESG performance can indeed improve financial performance, which has significant meanings for investors, company management, decisionmakers, and industry regulators.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad R. Hussein ◽  
Thamer AlSulaiman ◽  
Mohamed Habib ◽  
Engy A. Awad ◽  
Islam Morsi ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 toll of cases and deaths followed an uneven pattern across the world. The literature has partly explained the observed discrepancy between the different countries by country-specific and systemic patterns worldwide. In this study, we propose an additional explanation that the magnitude of COVID-19 toll reported to the WHO could be influenced by the level of free speech and Democracy in the reporting countries.MethodsWe constructed a longitudinal dataset including the daily COVID-19 count of cases and deaths worldwide and each country’s respective score on the Freedom in the World index. We applied two Generalized Estimating Equation models to investigate if a country’s reported toll count of COVID-19 cases and deaths is related to that country’s freedom level. We controlled for factors identified in the current literature to affect the pandemic’s spread.ResultsA country’s score on the Freedom In the World Index was associated with its reported COVID-19 cases count (57028.43, 95% CI 985.3619 - 113071.5, P= 0.0461) and deaths count (3473.273, 95% CI1217.12-5729.42, P=.002). Also, despite having almost equal shares of the world’s population, countries at the bottom category of the Freedom index reported 21% and 11% of the COVID-19 toll cases and death counts reported by countries of highest scores on the index, respectively.ConclusionsThe known magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic’s morbidity and mortality appears to be as transparent as the reporting countries uphold free speech and Democracy. This pattern could potentially misguide international aid and global vaccine distribution plans.


Policy Papers ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  

The review of PRGT eligibility continues to be guided by the principles of maintaining a transparent, rules-based, and parsimonious framework—ensuring uniformity of treatment across members in similar situations while taking appropriate account of country-specific circumstances. The graduation policy seeks to maintain broad alignment with the World Bank’s IDA graduation practices, while also remaining consistent with the principle of ensuring the self-sustainability of the PRGT’s lending capacity over time. The paper concludes that the existing framework remains broadly appropriate, but could be enhanced in a few areas, including: Making use of additional data sources, namely the IMF BEL database, in assessing that a country has durable and substantial market access, supplementing the current reliance on the World Bank’s IDS database that is produced with a significant lag; Sharpening the specification of circumstances under which the presence of serious short-term vulnerabilities would justify non-graduation of a country that meets the income graduation criterion. This would entail limiting the application of the serious short-term vulnerabilities criterion for countries that exceed the applicable income graduation threshold by 50 percent or more.


Author(s):  
John Ravenhill

The world is characterized by unprecedented levels of economic interdependence, intensified by globalization. It is also an era when the incidence of interstate warfare has declined markedly (Human Security Report Project 2009; Pinker 2011). To the casual observer, the link between these two trends may seem obvious. Demonstrating a more robust relationship between economic interdependence and peaceful change has proved challenging, however—fraught with problems such as how best to define and measure the two concepts. This chapter first examines the principal traditions that theorize the relationship between economic interdependence and peaceful change. It then reviews the challenges that have faced scholars who have sought through large-N studies to demonstrate a statistically significant association between these concepts. Problems in conceptualizing the independent and dependent variables cast doubt on the validity of the conclusions of many studies. They also fail to capture the complexities of the new interdependence associated with globalization.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 1509-1532
Author(s):  
Turkhan Sadigov

PurposeThe article offers an empirical investigation of the incidence and scale of household marriage overspending around the world, and the governments' reaction once the problem emerges.Design/methodology/approachThis study relies on regression analysis of open source data from legislation, mass media, and judiciary hearings for 141 countries. In the Phase 1 logistic regression of cross-country large-N data is used to identify country-incidence of marriage cost escalation. In the Phase 2 ordered logistic regression is used to uncover statistically significant factors that predict the probability of alternative government reactions in 87 countries which experience marriage cost escalation.FindingsIn a strong collectivist sociocultural environment, driven by informality, the rise of middle classes, combined with the decline of traditional hierarchies, and limited opportunities for economic mobility motivates households to enter emulative wedding spending, thus leading to overspending. Governments' reaction depends on available policy resources, and the economic scale of the problem.Research limitations/implicationsThe research findings suggest that rising living standards in the developing countries are more likely to escalate wedding costs, and consequently reinforce traditional values.Originality/valueAcademic literature links marriage-related overspending to armed insurgency, child marriage and decreasing state efficiency. Despite the problem's scope, existing research has not comprehensively addressed both its causes, and cross-country differences in government reactions to it. The article addresses both of the mentioned gaps, by offering a conceptual model of marriage cost escalation.


Author(s):  
Mubashir Qasim ◽  
Arthur Grimes

Abstract We analyse the relationship between individuals' subjective wellbeing (SWB) and measures of their country's sustainability. SWB data are sourced from the World Values Survey; sustainability is measured by ecological footprint (EF) and by components of the World Bank's adjusted net savings (ANS) series. ANS, a measure of weak sustainability, represents changes in a country's capital stock including financial, physical, human and natural capital. We show that an increase in strong sustainability, measured by EF and by ANS's natural capital component, is associated with reductions in SWB over the next decade followed by a rebound in SWB over the subsequent decade. We show also that the perfect substitutability assumptions on which ANS is calculated do not hold. Our findings highlight an important political challenge: governments that run sustainable policies may decrease the near-term wellbeing of citizens. This can reduce government's short-term popularity even though the improved sustainability may raise future wellbeing.


2015 ◽  
pp. 5-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Vakulenko ◽  
E. Gurvich

The authors estimate the short-term and long-term relationship GDP- unemployment (employment). These are the first reliable and robust confirmations of Okun’s law validity for Russia. It has been shown that the reaction of unemployment to output decline is much stronger than the response to output growth of the same size. Cross-country comparisons give evidence that Okun’s coefficient for Russia is slightly inferior to the same indicator for most developed countries, but is similar to coefficients found for other emerging markets.


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