Franchise extension with productive public sector capital (with Christopher Ellis, University of Oregon)

Economics

Further details

A model where a ruling elite decides on both the level of public sector capital and whether to democratise is constructed. Workers may under certain circumstances have a credible threat of revolution and this may induce democratisation. The possibility of a ‘political development trap’, where the elite stifles development in order to stay in power emerges. The model gives insight into the relationship between regime change and development. The model is used to explain both the effects of the 1832 Reform Act in the United Kingdom and the positive correlation between income and democracy.