Table 6.2

Key Features of Public Policies and Economic Development,
Simple and Partial Correlations
Latin American Countries
 Stability Adaptability Coordination and coherence Implementation and enforcement Public-regardedness Efficiency Policy Index No. Obs.
GDP per capita growth 0.643*** 0.543** 0.722*** 0.653*** 0.573** 0.674*** 0.700*** 18
0.453* 0.445* 0.505** 0.545** 0.287 0.512** 0.509** 18
Human Development Index (change) 0.202 0.602*** 0.186 0.519** 0.199 0.375 0.376 18
0.418* 0.782*** 0.428* 0.711*** 0.464* 0.592*** 0.614*** 18
Poverty Reduction 0.467* 0.455* 0.427* 0.322 0.353 0.372 0.439* 17
0.339 0.377 0.268 0.235 0.177 0.226 0.300 17
Welfare Index (Sen) 0.791*** 0.685*** 0.950*** 0.688*** 0.839*** 0.856*** 0.871*** 16
0.649*** 0.610** 0.800*** 0.590** 0.639*** 0.739*** 0.730*** 16
Welfare Index (Atkinson) 0.791*** 0.630*** 0.949*** 0.635*** 0.817*** 0.826*** 0.843*** 16
0.647*** 0.548** 0.796*** 0.528** 0.605** 0.704*** 0.695*** 16
Developing Countries
 Stability Adaptability Coordination and coherence Implementation and enforcement Public regardedness Efficiency Policy Index No. Obs.
GDP per capita growth 0.489*** – – 0.261* 0.193 0.467*** 0.420*** 52
0.491*** – – 0.331** 0.236 0.476*** 0.445*** 47
Human Development Index (change) 0.215 – – 0.585*** 0.485*** 0.249* 0.400*** 52
0.199 – – 0.567*** 0.476*** 0.283* 0.393*** 47
Poverty Reduction 0.511*** – – 0.332** 0.222 0.448*** 0.461*** 42
0.514*** – – 0.327** 0.202 0.445*** 0.450*** 37

– Not available.
* Significant at 10 percent.
** Significant at 5 percent.
*** Significant at 1 percent.
Note: For each political variable listed on the left, the first row presents simple correlations with each of the policy variables listed at the top of the columns, and the second row presents (in italics) partialed-out correlations (controling for 1980 GDP per capita)
Source: World Bank (various years); Stein and Tommasi (2005); Gasparini (2004; and UNDP (various years).