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Power and Persistence

The Indigenous Roots of Representative Democracy

Bibliographic Data

ID9705425
AuthorsJeanet Sinding Bentzen (University of Copenhagen), Jeanet Bentzen (0000-0003-2099-093X, University of Copenhagen, corresponding author), Jacob Gerner Hariri (0000-0002-0176-9749, University of Copenhagen), James A Robinson (0000-0002-2635-4590)
Year2019
Volume129
Issue618
Pages678-714
Publication date2019-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Economic Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/ecoj.12568
OpenAlexW2791036094
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited98

This article documents that indigenous democratic practices are associated with contemporary representative democracy. The basic association is conditioned on the relative strength of the indigenous groups within a country; stronger groups were able to shape national regime trajectories, weaker groups were not. Our analyses suggest that institutions are more likely to persist if they are supported by powerful actors and less likely to persist if the existing power structure is disrupted by, e.g. colonisation. Our findings contribute to a growing literature on institutional persistence and change

Biology · Colonisation · Colonization · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Indigenous · Persistence (discontinuity · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Ecology · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Religion and Society Interactions

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Unique citing works14
Citations per year2,33
Citation span2020 - 2026 (7)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 14
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