Frihet att växa - En kvantitativ studie av demokratiska dimensioners påverkan på ekonomisk tillväxt

Sammanfattning: This study investigates the linkage between different democratic dimensions and economic growth. This field of study has been examined numerous times. However, the prior studies apply democracy as a united concept, as opposed to this study where the concept is categorized into four different variables. These variables are Representative Government, Impartial Administration, Civil Liberties and Judicial Independence. The variables are constructed from the GSoD index, compiled by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. By using panel data for 134 countries between the years 1975-2015, five regressions are performed with varying lags in order to capture effects at different points in time. The study concludes that the different dimensions of democracy have varying effects on economic growth. These effects are time dependent. The results suggest that free and fair elections have a direct positive effect, while an independent judicial system has a negative direct effect on economic growth. Civil liberties have a delayed positive effect and an effective non-corrupt administration has a negative delayed effect on economic growth. Overall the result implies that a distinction between the different dimensions of democracy is valuable when studying economic growth in relation to democracy.