Institutional variables, capital flows and GDP: a causality analysis

During the last years the effects of socio-institutional and political variables on economic conditions has gained importance in the literature. This paper investigates the links between socio-institutional variables and capital inflows and GDP relative to a sample of countries for the years 2003-2004. First of all, the causality relationships between the variables under consideration are investigated and identified by means of a particular software, called TETRAD; after that, a system of equations is estimated. The results support the hypothesis that economic freedom is crucial for both capital flows and GDP.