Institutions and Development in Latin America: A Comparative Study

该项目将以对五个拉丁美洲国家“实际存在的”机构进行比较分析为基础，目的是了解这些机构的内部动态及其对经济和社会发展的影响。 该建议的框架是发展经济学和社会学的新“制度转向”，旨在进一步加强跨学科合作，并加强与拉丁美洲主要研究中心的联系。 在理论上，这项研究借鉴了波特斯最近的理论工作，旨在澄清“制度”的定义及其与社会结构和文化的其他组成要素的关系。 在此基础上，提出了六个假设，预测机构的质量和发展潜力的基础上的三个内部和三个外部特征。 这些标准包括，除其他外，任人唯贤，免疫腐败和积极主动地面对外部环境。 从经验上讲，该研究采用了一种基于布尔代数的定性比较分析（QCA）变体来分析参与研究者在每个机构和每个国家收集的数据。 在每种情况下，将使用相同的数据收集方法，从汇编二级记录到直接采访各级组织人员和主要用户/客户。 这一方法将有助于结果的可比性，选定的五个国家是阿根廷、智利、哥伦比亚、多米尼加共和国和墨西哥。 在每个国家，都与著名的研究机构建立了合作关系。 这些地点将为每一调查队提供当地基地。 在每个国家选择的研究机构包括证券交易所，公共卫生服务，邮局，税收服务和民用航空管理局。 其中每一个都在这些国家的日常生活和发展前景中发挥着独特的作用。 这种比较分析以前从未尝试过，研究的影响有三个方面：第一，通过提供关于真实的制度的信息，并检验关于它们对国家发展的影响的现有理论，对经济学和社会学中迅速发展的制度研究领域产生了影响。 第二，对选定国家的政府，通过提供迄今为止尚未获得的关于重要的公共和私人机构及其不同质量和有效性的证据。 第三，参与整个地区的研究中心，加强他们的分析能力，为未来开辟新的调查路线。 该项目将促进科学机构之间的合作，并帮助美国和拉丁美洲的科学家建立持久的联系。

The project will be based on a comparative analysis of "really existing" institutions in five Latin American countries with the aim of understanding their internal dynamics and their bearing on economic and social development. The proposal is framed by the new "institutional turn" in development economics and sociology and aims at furthering inter-disciplinary cooperation as well as strengthening ties with major Latin-American research centers. Theoretically, the study draws on recent theoretical work by Portes that seeks to clarify the definition of "institutions" and their relationships to other component elements of social structure and culture. Six hypotheses are advanced, based on this framework that predict the quality of institutions and their developmental potential on the basis of three internal and three external characteristics. These criteria include, among others, meritocracy, immunity to corruption, and proactivity toward the external environment. Empirically, the study employs a variant of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) based on Boolean algebra to analyze data collected by participating investigators on each institution and each country. Identical data collection methods will be used in each case, from compilation of secondary records to direct interviews with organizational personnel at various levels and major users/clients. This method will facilitate the comparability of results.The five countries selected are Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In each country, collaborative ties have been established with prominent research institutions. These will provide local home bases for each team of investigators. Institutions selected for study in each country include the Stock Exchange, the Public Health Service, the Post Office, the Tax Collection Service, and the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Each of these plays a distinct role in the daily life and prospects for development of these nations. A comparative analysis of this kind has never been attempted before.Impacts of the study are three-fold: First, on the rapidly evolving field of institutional studies in economics and sociology, by generating information on real institutions and testing current theories about their bearing on national development. Second, on governments of selected nations, by producing hitherto unavailable evidence on important public and private agencies and on their varying quality and effectiveness. Thirdly, on participating research centers throughout the region by strengthening their analytic capabilities and opening new lines of investigation for the future. The project will further cooperation between scientific institutions and help establish durable ties between scientists in the United States and Latin America.