Social Organizations, Violence & Modern Growth Although social institutions permeate the world in which we live, they are all but absent from our analyses of economic growth and development. This paper argues the need to mitigate this omission by demonstrating the importance of social institutions for growth and development. JEL Classification: O10, N10, N13

Social institutions impact growth by redistributing resources to the young, the poor, the old, and the sick. This paper empirically substantiates that England’s premodern social institutions–specifically, the Old Poor Law (1601-1834)–contributed to her transition to the modern economy. It reduced violent, innovation-inhibiting reactions from the economic agents threatened by economic change. Th...

We empirically assess the influence of globalization on social institutions that govern female subjugation and gender equality in developing countries. Observing the progress of globalization for almost one hundred developing countries at ten year intervals starting in 1970, we find that economic and social globalization exert a decidedly positive influence on the social institutions that reduc...

In this paper we propose the use of Virtual Worlds as a 3D social interface for Electronic Institutions. It is shown how the two metaphors, Virtual Worlds and Electronic Institutions are combined into a single metaphor, 3D Electronic Institutions, while retaining the features and advantages of both. Its essence is to open Electronic Institutions to human users. The strong methodology and powerf...

We live in a culture of contest and protest. Our economic, political, and legal institutions are structured as contests. Our efforts to reform these institutions frequently are characterized by protest. This article examines the social and ecological implications of this culture of contest and protest. It begins by demonstrating that our economic, political, and legal institutions form an integ...