Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

PhD

College

Chambers College of Business and Economics

Department

Economics

Committee Chair

Andrew T. Young

Committee Co-Chair

Roger D. Congleton

Committee Member

Joshua C. Hall

Committee Member

Donald J. Lacombe

Committee Member

Robert A. Lawson

Abstract

This dissertation consists of three essays which empirically investigate different avenues of institutional change. The introduction opens with a discussion of the topics explored in the three essays and provides an overview of important results from each essay. Essay one is a joint effort with Dr. Andrew Young. In this essay, we examine how foreign aid affects institutional change using a panel of aid recipient countries and multiple measures of institutions. In essay two, I examine how globalization affects informal institutions, measured by the level of culture in a country. The final essay explores if there are spatial spillovers from institutions in the European Union. The final chapter summarizes the conclusions of the three essays and discusses some possibilities for further investigation.

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