@techreport{NBERw13608,
 title = "The Economic Consequences of Legal Origins",
 author = "Rafael La Porta and Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes and Andrei Shleifer",
 institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research",
 type = "Working Paper",
 series = "Working Paper Series",
 number = "13608",
 year = "2007",
 month = "November",
 URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w13608",
 abstract = {In the last decade, economists have produced a considerable body of research suggesting that the historical origin of a country's laws is highly correlated with a broad range of its legal rules and regulations, as well as with economic outcomes.  We summarize this evidence and attempt a unified interpretation.  We also address several objections to the empirical claim that legal origins matter.  Finally, we assess the implications of this research for economic reform.},
}