Democracy, Dictatorship and Development

Questions regarding the economic consequences of various forms of regime have puzzled development researchers for many years. This book examines the theoretical debate as a starting-point for in-depth case-studies of four countries: India, China, Taiwan and Costa Rica. The case studies are used as a basis for a number of new conclusions about the circumstances under which a specific form of regime has certain consequences for economic development. The implications of these results for other third-world countries, democratic and authoritarian, are addressed in the final chapter.