Economic Institutions are the sole cause of economic growth in the longrun, discuss.

Essay Question: Economic Institutions are the sole cause of economic growth in the longrun, discuss. • The essay question must be discussed within the context of two or more developing countries. If possible use Guatemala, Iraq and/or Pakistan. • The three fundamental causes of growth must be discussed 1. Geography 2. Institution (Political + Economic) and 3. Culture. You must talk about all three fundamental causes but do not completely omit one of the three. • Must link the three fundamental causes (1. Geography 2. Institution (Political + Economic) and 3. Culture) • Make sure facts are about the fundamental cause and not the proximal causes of growth • Show earlier on that the question is about fundamental causes of growth • You must forge an opinion and argue the case accordingly – supporting opinions with research papers • Don’t talk too much about politics • Must discuss what’s been discussed in the lecture material (attached below) and research papers (listed below), as well as other papers (from your research) • Word limit: 2500, without references Research papers that must be included in the essay • ‘The Macrogenoeconomics of Comparative Development’ (Ashraf and Galor) https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jel.20161314 • ‘Institutions, Human Capital, and Development’ (Acemoglu et al) https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev- economics-080213-041119 • ‘The Global Distribution of Economic Activity: Nature, History and the role of trade’ (Henderson et al) https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/133/1/357/4110418?l ogin=true *Additional to this, lecture material (attached) and 15 other sources must be included in the research. Refer to research by Stelios Michalopoulos, Felipe Valencia Caicedo & David Weil