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,...

In this paper we take a close look at some of the particular pathways by which majoritarian and consensual institutions affect governability. We demonstrate that the mix of majoritarian and consensual institutions found within a country can influence these pathways quite dramatically, such that...

This paper analyses the specific mechanisms through which legal institutions and the Rule of Law affect firm performance using survey evidence from a sample of about 100 Brazilian firms in the textile and electronics industries. The data provide firms' perceptions of whether judicial...

If institutions are the key to prosperity, why don't all countries choose good institutions? This paper explores why it has been so hard for many countries to acquire development-enhancing beliefs. The paper uses fitness landscapes and coevolution as tools to understand how beliefs and...