Social Trust, Institution, and Economic Growth: Evidence from China

Recent research has demonstrated the important role of social trust in economic growth. As a form of informal institution, social trust and formal institution are inextricable and intrinsically related. This article aims to investigate the relationship between social trust and institution, and their combined effects on economic growth. In an empirical investigation of cross-provincial data in the period 2001–2009 in China, our estimates suggest that the increase in social trust significantly promotes economic growth. The improvement of formal institution is also beneficial to economic growth. The effect of social trust on economic growth depends on the institution level, and this effect weakens with institutional strength.