Citation

de Mello L, Sab R. Int. Rev. Law Econ. 2002; 22(3): 257-276.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0144-8188(02)00099-6

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The government plays a critical role in protecting and enforcing rights and civil liberties. Empirical evidence provided for a sample of industrial and developing countries shows that government spending on defense, law and order, social security, education, and health care are associated with three rights indicators--property rights, equality of citizens before the law, and economic freedom. In particular, an increase in expenditures on law and order seems to improve the indicators of rights and civil liberties. Sound fiscal policies (i.e., lower budget deficits) seem to improve property rights and equality before the law. Of great importance is the finding that corruption deteriorates rights indicators. The empirical evidence reported in the paper casts doubt over the negative-positive rights dichotomy (negative rights do not entail public costs), which has become conventional in the literature.