Institutions, Organizations & Growth
This program takes an integrated approach to the question of what makes some countries rich and others poor, examining the effects of institutions and organizations on economic growth.
Surprisingly little is known about how institutions, such as political systems, banks and unions, affect economic growth. Institutions affect a country’s ability to innovate, meet new challenges and generate wealth, but the relationship is complex: institutions that foster prosperity in one culture, geographical location, or historical period may be detrimental in another.
Launched in 2004, the Institutions, Organizations & Growth program is composed of internationally distinguished researchers from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Israel. Their collective expertise spans a wide range of subjects within the fields of economics, history, anthropology and political science.
This broad membership, which includes two Nobel laureates, enables the program to look beyond traditional ideas about the types of factors that enhance or limit a nation's capacity for economic growth.
In addition to studying political institutions such as democracy and autocracy, program members also study legal systems, social organizations, community values and many other highly influential institutions.
This research can help poor nations grow out of poverty, and inform the work of international institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. With momentous political, social and economic shifts transforming nations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America, real understanding of economic success and failure has never been more urgent or more possible.
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