Centro de Estudos Internacionais do Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL)
Abstract
This paper tries to analyze both theoretically and empirically the association between
economic development and the construction of more stable institutions, considering African and
South American Countries. In this sense, it will be observed some political rules for the countries
of our sample, such as the number of the veto players (actors with veto power), the tenure of its
mandate, and the level of polarization. Finally, on the other direction of causality, it will be
discussed whether more stable institutions - in its many levels - improve economic growth or not.
In order to do this analysis it will be developed an econometric model taken into account the
importance of some political variables already mentioned for the economic growth process of
the countries chosen
