Review of "Institutions and Economic Performance" by E. Helpman

Elhanan Helpman has collected thirteen fascinating chapters which ask, from a variety of viewpoints and with a wealth of alternative approaches, what are the economic consequences of a society’s institutional arrangements. What makes these chapters fascinating is the frequency with which they challenge accepted wisdom, or question evidence based on simple cross-sections. The wealth of approaches---from theory to historical analysis, to case studies and panel data econometrics--goes along with the variety of questions asked, which range from the time-honoured issue of the effects of inequality on growth, to more unusual topics such as why can small guerrilla movements be so stable and long-lived. Rather than providing a thorough review of the book—and not doing justice to many of the contributors--I shall entice the reader with a few examples of what this book offers