the colonial origins of comparative ment比较心理学殖民起源.pdfVIP

AmericanEconomicReview2012,102(6):3059–3076

TheColonialOriginsofComparativeDevelopment:

AnEmpiricalInvestigation:Comment†

ByDavidY.Albouy*

Acemoglu,Johnson,andRobinson(2001)(hereafter,AJR)isaseminalarticlethat

hasreinvigorateddebateovertherelationshipbetweenpropertyrightsandeconomic

growth.FollowingKnackandKeefer(1995),Mauro(1995),LaPortaetal.(1998),

HallandJones(1999),Rodrik(1999),andothers,AJRendeavorstodetermhe

causaleffectofinstitutionsthatprotectpropertyrights,measuredbyriskofcapital

expropriation,oneconomicperformance.Thisendeavoriscomplicatedbythefact

thatthecorrelationbetweeninstitutionalandeconomicmeasuresmayreflectthe

reverseinfluenceofeconomicgrowthoninstitutionsorthesimultaneousinfluence

ofomittedvariablesonbotheconomicoutputandinstitutions.Tocircumventthese

problems,AJRusesaninstrumentalvariable(IV)forexpropriationriskinanequation

determiningGDPpercapitaacrosspreviouslycolonizedcountries.

AJRarguesthatduringthecolonialera,Europeansweremorelikelytosettlein

ceswheretheyhadalowerriskofdyingfromdisease.ColonieswhereEuropeans

settleddevelopedinstitutionsthatprotectpropertybetterthancolonieswhere

Europeansdidnotsettle.Thearticlearguesthat,inthelongrun,thedirecteffects

ofmortalityandEuropeansettlementonnationalincomefaded,whiletheindirect

effectthroughproperty-rightsinstitutionspersisted.Thisargumentmotivatestheuse

ofpotentialEuropeanse