The New Institutional Economics (NIE) has its early roots in Cliometrics. Cliometrics began with a focus on using neoclassical theory to develop and test hypotheses in economic history. But empirical consideration of economic and political development within and across countries is limited,...

This review essay critically interrogates the discourse and practice of development. It is argued that models of alternative development remain imprisoned in the ontological categories of the development project, an ideological and institutional devise to consolidate the hegemony of the West...

In the late 1990s, as economists looked back the development period in Africa since 1970s, they put forward the notion “African growth tragedy” , meaning that Africa's poor growth and resulting low income is associated with low schooling, political instability, underdeveloped financial...

Current literature on John Stuart Mill's writings about Asia has mainly focused on his influence in India because of Mill's 35-year career in the East India Company. Scholars in both China and the West have not paid attention to Mill's views on China. This paper delves into Mill's notion of...

The growth surge produced by East Asian newly industrialised nations since 1970s has been a central theme of research and debate amongst many social scientists and policy makers. From an “institutionalist” perspective, the idea of “development state” was theorised to explain this “East...

The Protestant Reformation is a vivid example of how religious transformation could set in motion institutional changes, leading to profound consequences for economic and political development. Although economists and other social scientists agree that there is a strong relation between the...

The main aim of this study is to analyze how institutional change, measured with a set of governance indicators, can reduce poverty and inequality in society that are essential prerequisites for supporting sustainable economic growth of nations. This study investigates 191 countries to explain...

The global economy is at a crossroads. As countries struggle to find solutions for slowing economic growth and languishing development prospects, received wisdom on development is increasingly coming under scrutiny. What is development? What are the factors that dictate its success or failure?...

This study examines the effects of the historical prevalence of infectious diseases on contemporary gender equality. Previous studies reveal the persistence of the effects of historical diseases on innovation, through the channel of culture. Drawing on the Parasite-Stress Theory, we propose a...