Growth, History, or Institutions? What Explains State Fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa

Graziella Bertocchi () and Andrea Guerzoni

No 7745, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: We explore the determinants of state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling for a wide range of economic, demographic, geographic and institutional regressors, we find that institutions, and in particular the civil liberties index and the number of revolutions, are the main determinants of fragility, even taking into account their potential endogeneity. Economic factors such as income growth and investment display a non robust impact after controlling for omitted variables and reverse causality. Colonial variables reflecting the history of the region display a marginal impact on fragility once institutions are accounted for.

Keywords: State fragility; Africa; Institutions; Colonial history (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H11 N17 O43 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Growth, History, or Institutions? What Explains State Fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa (2010)
Working Paper: Growth, History, or Institutions? What Explains State Fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa (2010)
Working Paper: Growth, History, or Institutions? What Explains State Fragility in Sub-Saharan Africa (2010)
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