DEMOCRACY VERSUS DICTATORSHIP: THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL REGIME ON GDP PER CAPITA GROWTH

This article investigates the infl uence that a regime type has on GDP per capita growth. Statistical investigation showed that, during the 1820-1950 period, democracies were much more successful than dictatorships in promoting economic growth. However, during the last fi fty years, dictatorships achieved results that were equivalent to democracies in the promotion of GDP per capita growth.