Evolution and measurement of formal institutions in Cote D’Ivoire

This study analyzes the evolution of institutions in Côte d’Ivoire using a new set of data on institutions. Three types of indexes have been constructed: the Property Right Index, the Political Freedoms and Civil Liberties Index and the Political Instability Index. These indicators correlate fairly well with some macroeconomic indicators and with some of the institutional indices produced by the Freedom House. The analysis shows an improvement in political freedom and civil liberties in Côte d’Ivoire over the period 1887-2010. Similarly, following land reforms an increase in the modern property rights index is also observed over the same period. However, the value of the index remained relatively low. On the contrary, the political instability index shows an increased trend in instability in Côte d’Ivoire. These findings show a need to continue fighting against political instability and also undertake reforms in order to better improve political freedom and civil liberties and modern property rights.