Institutions, economic and political inequality and long-term development: a perspective from Brazilian states

• Grant number: 12/18172-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: February 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Growth, Fluctuations and Economic Planning
• Principal Investigator: Renato Perim Colistete
• Grantee: Pedro Paulo Pereira Funari
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Is it political or economic inequality that matters for long-run development? How does inequality in general interact with the institutional structure of a society in shaping its development path? As argued by Acemoglu, Bautista, Querubín and Robinson (2008), these questions are made important because it is not always that economic and political inequality go hand in hand. Therefore it is important to disentangle the effects of political inequality and those of economic inequality for a better understanding of the process of economic development. In this study we aim to fill a gap in the literature by investigating the effect of economic inequality, through the colonial legacy of land institutions, and those of political inequality on long-term economic performance in four regions (states) of Brazil with different colonial experiences. Research will be done through the use of microdata at the municipal level from a unique database yet little explored, the Agricultural Census of 1920. Focusing on unequal distribution of land and political inequality we can assess more accurately some of the main sources of inequality in South America, as emphasized by Engerman and Sokoloff (1997). The analysis expands substantially the scope of investigation of the effects of institutions on development in incorporating regions (states) with different socio-economic characteristics and institutions, related to different colonial experiences. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FUNARI, Pedro Paulo Pereira. Institutions, inequality, and long-term development: a perspective from Brazilian regions. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA/SBD) São Paulo.