Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Chambers College of Business and Economics
Department
Economics
Committee Chair
Andrew Young
Committee Co-Chair
Christopher Coyne
Committee Member
Tami Gurley-Calvez
Committee Member
Santiago Pinto
Committee Member
Russell Sobel.
Abstract
This dissertation is a collection of three essays that examine how political economy and institutional factors influence development outcomes. In Chapter 1, I introduce each essay and argue that it is important to incorporate political economy and institutional considerations into studies in development economics. Chapter 2 examines the political economy of development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by assessing the impact of conflict and local insecurity on household-level economic conditions across the country. Chapter 3 analyzes the political economy of infant mortality rates across the developing world by using an usually large microlevel dataset for 70 developing countries. Chapter 4 assesses the political economy of economic reconstruction in Afghanistan and Iraq by highlighting four 'reconstruction traps' that result from the incentives and constraints faced by those involved in reconstruction efforts.
Recommended Citation
Pellillo, Adam, "Three essays on political economy and development" (2012). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4908.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4908