causal
Uninterested leaders neglect rather than distort statistics
Rather than leaders deliberately distorting numbers downward to keep receiving aid, the relationship runs the other way: leaders genuinely interested in growth (like Ghana's and Nigeria's seeking middle-income status) push to update GDP, while leaders not interested in economic growth are simply not interested in GDP statistics either, so the figures do not enter their calculus.
causalpending
Speaker
Morten JervenEvidence Quote
“I think the relationship of the incentive there should not be interpreted that directly, but maybe the other way around, so that there are leaders who on purpose let their country look poor or more stagnant than it should be, and therefore don't up their statistics.”
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:25:58 AM
My Notes
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