Historical state stability and economic development in Europe

S. P. Harish, Christopher Paik

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In this paper, we show that state stability exhibits a persistent and robust non-monotonic relationship with economic development. Based on observations in Europe spanning from 1 to 2000 AD, regions that have historically experienced either short-or long-duration state rule on average lag behind in their local wealth today, while those that have experienced medium-duration state rule fare better. These findings support the argument that both an absence as well as an excess of state stability are bad for economic development. State instability hinders investment for growth, while too much stability is likely indicative of elite capture and subsequent stagnation of innovation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)425-443
Number of pages19
JournalPolitical Science Research and Methods
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2020

Keywords

  • Development
  • economic output
  • sovereign turnovers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Political Science and International Relations

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