Research on State, Bureaucracy, and Judiciary: A Synthesis

The state, bureaucracy, and judiciary synthesis paper finds that the research conducted under this theme makes an important contribution to the literature discussing the issue that formal institutions cannot be created at will, and that they require a suitable cultural and historical context to function well.

Mookherjee also discusses the thematic research papers providing a more detailed empirical analyses of specific institutions in specific countries at specific times. He writes that, “these show how the functioning of certain formal institutions are affected by the cultural and historical context in which they are embedded. In particular, the development or functioning of certain formal institutions may be subverted or perverted by religious, political, or economic elites.” He closes the thematic synthesis by offering a discussion of implications for policy development