Access to justice and economic development: Evidence from an international panel dataset

Arnaud Deseau, Adam Levai () and Michèle Schmiegelow ()
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Adam Levai: LISER - Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, UCL IRES - Institut de recherches économiques et sociales - UCL - Université Catholique de Louvain = Catholic University of Louvain
Michèle Schmiegelow: UCLouvain

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Abstract: This paper evaluates the importance of access to justice (ATJ) for economic growth. To do so, we create a new database on the number of judges per capita by collecting data from various public institutions and academic publications. We use these data as a country-level indicator to capture the structural evolution of ATJ from 1970 to 2019 for a wide range of developed and developing countries. Using an instrumental variable approach in a dynamic panel setting to deal with endogeneity, we show that ATJ has a sizable positive effect on economic growth. The substantial aggregate effect of ATJ on growth is independent of countries' legal origin, customary law, rule of law or level of democracy. However, we find evidence that the economic returns from ATJ are higher in poorer countries. In terms of mechanisms, our results suggest that ATJ promotes growth via higher government accountability and improved institutional quality.''Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels'' [Sustainable Development Goal 16 (United Nations, 2015)] ✩ We would like to thank the editor, Evi Pappa, several anonymous referees, as well as Alexia Autenne,

Keywords: Access to justice; Economic growth; Institutions; Judges; Access to justice Economic growth Institutions Judges (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-02
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05067001v1
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Published in European Economic Review, 2025, 172, pp.104947. ⟨10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104947⟩

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Journal Article: Access to justice and economic development: Evidence from an international panel dataset (2025)
Working Paper: Access to Justice and Economic Development: Evidence from an International Panel Dataset (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05067001

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104947

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