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

Graziella Bertocchi () and Andrea Guerzoni ()
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Andrea Guerzoni: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

No 4817, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We explore the determinants of state fragility in sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling for a wide range of economic, demographic, geographic and istitutional 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: colonial history; state fragility; Africa; institutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H11 N17 O43 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2010-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dev and nep-his
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

Published - revised version published in: Journal of Peace Research, 2012, 49 (6), 769-783

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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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