Political Competition, Policy Making, and the Quality of Public Policies in Costa Rica

This paper uses a case study of Costa Rica to identify the reasons why democracy is conducive for development. By the mid-twentieth century, Costa Rica had begun to depart from the all-too-common mixture of political instability and economic stagna...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Lehoucq, Fabrice
Format:	Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2017
Subjects:	ACCOUNTABILITY ADJUDICATION ADULT POPULATION AGRICULTURE ALLEGIANCE ARMED CONFLICT AUDITOR AUDITS BALANCE SHEET BANKS BONDS CABINET CANDIDATES CAPITAL INFLOWS CENTRAL BANK CENTRALIZATION CHRONIC INFLATION CITIZEN CITIZENS CIVIL CONFLICT CIVIL WAR CLIMATE CHANGE COLLAPSE COLONIALISM COMMERCIAL BANKS COMMITTEE HEARINGS COMMON MARKET COMPETITIVENESS CONFLICTS OF INTEREST CONSTITUENT CONSUMERS DEBT DEBT CRISIS DEMOCRACIES DEMOCRACY DEMOCRATIC FORMS DEMOCRATIC REGIMES DEVELOPMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ECONOMETRIC MODELS ECONOMIC CRISIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE ECONOMIC POLICIES ECONOMIC REFORM ECONOMIC RESOURCES EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ELECTION ELECTIONS ELECTORAL SYSTEM ELECTORATE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS EXCHANGE RATE EXECUTIVE BRANCH EXPORT SECTOR EXPORTS FINANCIAL REFORMS FISCAL DEFICIT FISCAL DEFICITS FISCAL POLICIES FLOOR PRICE FORECASTS FOREIGN EXCHANGE FRANCHISE FRAUD FREE ELECTIONS GANG GDP GDP PER CAPITA GLOBAL STANDARDS GLOBALIZATION GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES GREENHOUSE GASES GROWTH RATE GROWTH RATES HEALTH CARE HEALTH CARE SERVICES HOSPITAL HUMAN CAPITAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INCOME INCOMES INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS INDUSTRIALIZATION INFANT INFANT MORTALITY INFANT MORTALITY RATES INFLATION RATES INITIATIVE INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS INSTITUTIONAL STABILITY INSURANCE INSURANCE POLICIES INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL TRADE INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION JUDICIAL REFORM JUSTICE LAWS LEADERSHIP LEGAL STATUS LEGISLATIVE POWERS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS LEGISLATORS LIBERALIZATION LIFE EXPECTANCY LIVE BIRTHS LOBBYING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS MACROECONOMIC POLICY MACROECONOMIC STABILITY MANDATES MEDIA MEDIA ATTENTION MEDICAL CARE MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRY MINISTER MINISTERS MINORITY MIXED ECONOMIES MONETARY POLICY MONEY SUPPLY MONOPOLY MORTALITY DECLINE NATIONAL AUTHORITIES NATIONAL BANK NATIONAL BUDGET NATIONAL CURRENCY NATIONAL POLICY NATIONAL POLITICS NATURAL RESOURCES OLD AGE OLIGARCHY OPEN ECONOMY PENSION SYSTEM PENSIONS PER CAPITA INCOMES POLICE POLICES POLICY FRAMEWORK POLICY GOALS POLICY IMPLICATIONS POLICY MAKERS POLICY MAKING POLICY STUDIES POLICY-MAKING PROCESS POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS POLITICAL CHANGE POLITICAL DEMOCRACY POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT POLITICAL ECONOMY POLITICAL INSTABILITY POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY POLITICAL STABILITY POLITICAL SYSTEM POLITICAL SYSTEMS POLITICIANS PRACTITIONERS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS PRIVATE CAPITAL PRIVATIZATION PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION PUBLIC AFFAIRS PUBLIC AUTHORITIES PUBLIC DEBT PUBLIC FINANCE PUBLIC HEALTH PUBLIC INTEREST PUBLIC OFFICIALS PUBLIC OPINION PUBLIC PENSION PUBLIC POLICIES PUBLIC POLICY PUBLIC SERVICES REGIME CHANGES REPRESENTATIVES REPUTATION RULE OF LAW RURAL AREAS SANITATION SCANDALS SMALL ECONOMIES SMALL ECONOMY SOCIAL CONDITIONS SOCIAL COSTS SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS SOCIAL MOVEMENTS SOCIAL POLICY SOCIAL PROBLEMS SOCIAL PROGRESS SOCIAL SECURITY SOCIAL WELFARE STATE POLICIES STATE UNIVERSITY STOCK EXCHANGE SUFFRAGE TAX TAX CREDITS TECHNICAL CAPACITIES TELECOMMUNICATIONS TELEPHONE SERVICE TRADE BARRIERS TRADE LIBERALIZATION TRANSPARENCY TRANSPORTATION TREASURY TURNOVER VICTIMS VIOLENCE VOTER TURNOUT VOTERS WAR WEALTH WORLD POPULATION
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/312871468247845252/Political-competition-policy-making-and-the-quality-of-public-policies-in-Costa-Rica http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28007

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Summary:	This paper uses a case study of Costa Rica to identify the reasons why democracy is conducive for development. By the mid-twentieth century, Costa Rica had begun to depart from the all-too-common mixture of political instability and economic stagnation characteristic of much of the developing world. This paper claims that this country has benefited from better-than-average public policies, a conclusion based upon an original assessment of policy effectiveness and a major comparative ranking of state policies. It largely rejects the interpretation that uncommon development performance stems from institutions created during the colonial period and instead emphasizes how unending political stalemates gradually made the struggle for power more democratic. A central conclusion of this paper is that political competition-as well as steady economic growth rates and development, more generally-interact with and reinforce each other so that the exercise of power foments rather than retards economic growth.

Political Competition, Policy Making, and the Quality of Public Policies in Costa Rica

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