An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Human Development and Quasi-Public Goods

Abstract

This paper empirically examines the proposition that levels of social welfare are related to a country's ability to provide itself with quasi-public goods. It also argues that less developed countries in recent years have been forced to reduce public spending on such goods as a result of the need to service external debt obligations. The result for these countries then is a reduction in broad-based social welfare.