Probing the Sources of Political Order

CID Faculty Working Paper No. 110

Robert H. Bates
October 2004

Abstract

As noted by Hobbes, political order makes possible the good things of life. It constitutes the political foundations for development. Motivated by the theory of the state and qualitative materials from Africa, this paper develops a model of the foundations of political order, which it then tests on data from 46 African countries over the period 1970-1995.

Keywords: development, Africa, political economy, institutions, conflict

JEL subject codes: H5, O55