Berkowitz, DanielPistor, KatharinaRichard, Jean-Francois2019-04-262000-03Berkowitz, Daniel, Katharina Pistor, and Jean-Francois Richard. “Economic Development, Legality, and the Transplant Effect.” CID Working Paper Series 2000.39, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, March 2000.http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:39477715We analyze the determinants of effective legal institutions (legality) using data from 49 countries. We show that the way the law was initially transplanted and received is a more important determinant than the supply of law from a particular legal family. Countries that have developed legal orders internally, adapted the transplanted law, and/or had a population that was already familiar with basic principles of the transplanted law have more effective legality than countries that received foreign law without any similar predispositions. The transplanting process has a strong indirect effect on economic development via its impact on legality.en-USResearch Paper or Report2019-04-26