Regarding the Arab region, GDP per capita virtually stagnated for more than 20 years from 1980. During the same period, GDP per capita in the world's highly industrialized states further increased and the gap between the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and the highly developed countries widened. However, the differences between Arab countries and the Western states exist not only economically. The countries also differ regarding their political, legal, and social systems. This work explains the differences in development on the basis of institutional economics. In addition to a general theoretical part, an empirical analysis demonstrates the effects of institutions on income, and a historical case study explains the divergent development paths of the Arab region and selected advanced economies.

Informal norms and political practices can act to facilitate or block changes to formal rules, with important consequences for efforts to promote gender equality. In this book, leading scholars develop sophisticated analytical frameworks and provide detailed empirical knowledge to further our understanding of the gendering of informal institutions. The book begins by assessing our current theoretical and empirical knowledge and outlining the remaining gaps in our understanding around the way gender interacts with informal institutions. It takes up the challenges of gender equality in informal institutions though a feminist institutionalist lens. The empirically based chapters explore the role of informal institutions in three areas of concern for feminist scholars: political recruitment; the executive; and policy and practice; and examine the practical and methodological challenges of researching informal institutions. Using the insights generated in the volume, the final chapter develops a research agenda for future work on gendering informal institutions, considering the potential to design or alter informal institutions, and of different approaches and methodologies.

"The volume emerged out of two conferences on informal institutions. The first, entitled 'Informal Institutions and Politics in the Developing World, ' was held at Harvard University in April 2002 ... The second conference, entitled 'Informal Institutions and Politics in Latin America: Understanding the Rules of the Game, ' was held at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, in April 2003"--Pref

In this exciting volume, a diverse and accomplished group of scholars work to integrate theories of institutions with strategic management. The research they present examines a wide range of industrial contexts, ranging from American retailing at the end of the nineteenth century, to German tax law at the beginning of the twenty-first.

New data show that countries that regulate the entry of new firms more heavily have greater corruption and larger unofficial economies, but not better quality goods. The evidence supports the view that regulating entry benefits politicians and bureacrats.

'Investor Protection and Corporate Governance' analyzes the impact of corporate governance on firm performance and valuation. Using unique datasets gathered at the firm-level the first such data in the region and results from a homogeneous corporate governance questionnaire, the book examines corporate governance characteristics, ownership structures, dividend policies, and performance measures. The book's analysis reveals the very high levels of ownership and voting rights concentrations and monolithic governance structures in the largest samples of Latin American companies up to now, and new data emphasize the importance of specific characteristics of the investor protection regimes in several Latin American countries. By and large, those firms with better governance measures across several dimensions are granted higher valuations and thus lower cost of capital. This title will be useful to researchers, policy makers, government officials, and other professionals involved in corporate governance, economic policy, and business finance, law, and management.

Informal institutions, such as family and kinship structures, traditions, and social norms, have largely been overlooked in the international development debate. This book reflects the views and experiences of policy makers and experts in their search to make informal institutions an instrument for achieving development objectives.Dealing with informal institutions can be difficult in a context of weak states with poorly established governance structures. The authors here propose a pragmatic approach in which policies are adapted to local realities and conditions in order to maximise the positive impact on development. Incorporating informal institutions in development strategies will be instrumental in improving development outcomes, including achieving the Millennium Development Goals.This book is based on the conclusions of an international seminar organised by the OECD Development Centre and the Development Assistance Committee entitled, Informal Institutions: What do we know and what can we do? held in Paris on 11-12 December 2006.