For a panel of 109 coastal countries, we show that negative economic shocks in the fisheries sector are associated with an increase in maritime piracy. Our identification strategy uses the variation in the phytoplankton abundance off the individual countries' coasts, measured by satellite data,...

Empirical investigation by dynamic panel data models of the determinants of democracy shows a strong positive neighbor effect. Foreign aid is stabilizing but not inducing democratic development, while there is no significant relationship to openness to trade and income.