No country for old men: Aging dictators and economic growth

Arbeitspapier

This paper develops a model of the relationship between the age of a dictator and economic growth. In the model a dictator must spread the resources of the economy over his reign but faces mortality and political risk. The model shows that if the time horizon of the dictator decreases, either due to an increase of mortality risk or political risk, the economic growth rate decreases. The model predictions are supported by empirical evidence based on a threeway fixed effects model including country, year and dictator fixed effects for a sample of dictators from 116 countries. These results are robust to sample selection, the tenure of dictators, the definition of dictatorship, and a broad set of economic growth determinants.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: KOF Working Papers ; No. 289

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government ; Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development ; Institutions and Growth
• Subject: Aging ; economic growth ; government performance ; political instability ; political leaders ; Diktatur ; Staatsoberhaupt ; Sterblichkeit ; Wirtschaftswachstum ; Politische Stabilität ; Systemvergleich ; Welt

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Jong-A-Pin, Richard ; Mierau, Jochen O.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): ETH Zurich, KOF Swiss Economic Institute
• (where): Zurich
• (when): 2011

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.3929/ethz-a-006668259
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/54717
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET