Growth theory from an Austiran institutional perspective
https://doi.org/10.21845/comp/2004/3/9
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Abstract
Perhaps the one fundamental question of growth theory is why some countries are poor while others are rich. The paper identifies two main lines of research approaching this question, by applying the social analysis of Williamson, and points out that both approaches give an asymmetric answer. The paper applies a critique, which was formulated in the theory of the firm, and compares it with a transaction cost approach. According to this critique, the one approach to economic growth lays too much emphasis on technology, while the other neglects the technological side and emphasizes only the transaction costs and incentives. This paper argues that a new approach, based on the insights of modern Austrian economics, is able to integrate these two sides.