142 UNU-WIDER articles, publications, projects, experts...
Filter by...
Panel discussion
UNU-WIDER at ISA 2022 Annual ConventionUNU-WIDER Senior Research Fellow Patricia Justino and Research Associate Rute Martins Caeiro join in a virtual panel discussion Trust and Governance in Unstable Democracies on 29 March 2022 14:00 - 15:30 (UTC-5) as part of the International Studies...
Working Paper
Aid's impact on democracyThis paper investigates the impact of foreign aid on democratic outcomes using a panel of countries for the period between 1995 and 2018...
Foreign aid Democracy Democracy aidWorkshop
Subnational governance in Ghana – does decentralization improve democratic outcomes?UNU-WIDER researchers in The state and statebuilding in the Global South — international and local interactions project attend an authors’ workshop at the London School of Economics . ( Download programme ). Rachel Gisselquist, Daniel...
Blog
Virtuous circles and downward spirals: The power of ideas & the limits of technocracy
What will it take to shake loose the distemper of our times, and initiate a virtuous spiral of renewal?...
Sustainable development Institutional quality DemocracyBlog
Staffan Lindberg’s keynote address is a wake-up call
In introducing Staffan Lindberg’s keynote at the WIDER Development Conference, UNU-WIDER Senior Research Fellow and political scientist Rachel Gisselquist says that the COVID-19 pandemic is linked to new restrictions on rights and freedoms at a...
Democracy Democracy and human rights AutocracyWorking Paper
Clientelism and governanceUnlike much of the growing literature on political clientelism, this short paper contains mainly the author’s general reflections on the broad issues of governance (or mis-governance including corruption), democracy, and state capacity that cli...
vote-buying Clientelism PoliticsJournal Article
The corruption–growth relationship: Does the political regime matter?Corruption is widely believed to have an adverse effect on the economic performance of a country...
Corruption Democracy Economic growthWorking Paper
Good institutions and tax revenue outcomes in resource-rich countries: When ‘good’ is not enoughDeveloping countries that experience commodity booms struggle to mobilize sustainable tax revenues...
resource rent Tax revenue InstitutionsBackground Note
Review of sub-national institutional performance in GhanaIntroduction The literature on the concept, measurement, causes, and correlates of sub-national institutional governance is not new. From the seminal work of Putnam et al. (1993) to recent attempts by Iddawela et al...
Decentralized governance Decentralization GovernancePresentation
Rachel M. Gisselquist and Miguel Niño-Zarazúa on Effectiveness of International & Swedish Democracy Aid for USAIDMiguel Niño-Zarazúa , Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER, and Rachel M. Gisselquist , Senior Research Fellow at UNU-WIDER will be presenting and discussing the findings of the report Effects of Swedish and international...
In the media

Journal Article
Health-system equity, egalitarian democracy and COVID-19 outcomes: An empirical analysisThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a spate of studies showing a close connection between inequitable access to health care, welfare services and adverse outcomes from the pandemic...
COVID-19 Healthcare Healthcare accessBlog
Clientelism – another reason to worry about US democracy
The last several months have given us many reasons to worry about US democracy – not least the riot at the US Capitol and the president’s refusal to accept the results of the November election, with Republican support. Rachel Gisselquist ...
Clientelism United States CorruptionWorking Paper
Does aid support democracy?: A systematic review of the literatureThis study draws on a rigorous systematic review—to our knowledge the first in this area—to take stock of the literature on aid and democracy. It asks: Does aid—especially democracy aid—have positive impact on democracy? How?...
Foreign aid Democracy Systematic reviewNews
Press release: New study shows democracy aid worksDoes development cooperation aimed at strengthening democracy work? A new study from the Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) addresses critical knowledge gaps on aid assistance. The report, published today, is the most comprehensive study on...
Aid effectiveness Democracy aid Democracy