Easterly on Benevolent Autocrats and Growth

EconTalk

• Episode: Easterly on Benevolent Autocrats and Growth
• Website: EconTalk
• Feed URL: http://files.libertyfund.org/econtalk/EconTalk.xml
• Duration: 01:05:19
• Published: 2011-05-30 08:30

William Easterly of New York University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the oft-heard claim that poor countries led by autocrats grow faster than poor countries that are democratic. Drawing on a recent paper, "Benevolent Autocrats," Easterly argues that while some autocracies do indeed grow very quickly, a much greater number do not. Yet, the idea that the messiness of democracy is inferior to a dictatorship remains seductive. Easterly gives a number of arguments for the perennial appeal of autocracy as a growth strategy. The conversation closes with a discussion of the limitations of our knowledge about growth and where that leaves policymakers.