2026 Stephen Knack: Economics and Finance Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Economics and Finance	60	792	493	166	38107

Discipline name

D-Index

World Ranking

National Ranking

Publications

Citations

Economics and Finance

792

493

166

38107

Research.com Recognitions

2023 - Research.com Political Science in United States Leader Award

Overview

Stephen Knack was affiliated with the World Bank in the United States. Their research primarily focused on social sciences, with particular attention to economics, econometrics, and finance, alongside contributions to computer science. Their work addressed subfields such as economics and econometrics, information systems, sociology and political science, development studies, and safety research.

Their academic interests centered around topics including fiscal policy and economic growth, economic growth and development, income, poverty, and inequality, international development and aid, poverty, education and child welfare, and local government finance and decentralization.

Stephen Knack authored several papers, including:

Better Policies from Policy-Selective Aid? (2020), published in The World Bank Economic Review
How Does the World Bank Influence the Development Policy Priorities of Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries? (2025), published in Political Studies Review

Co-authors frequently collaborating with Stephen Knack included Bradley C. Parks, Ani Harutyunyan, Matthew DiLorenzo, Anton Dobronogov, and James M. Wilson.

Stephen Knack also contributed to books published by World Bank, Washington, DC eBooks, such as:

How does the World Bank Influence the Development Policy Priorities of Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries? (2020)
Moving up the Ladder: An Analysis of IDA Graduation Policy (2020)

Their publications appeared mainly in venues like The World Bank Economic Review and Political Studies Review, reflecting an engagement with policy-related economic research and political science.

Best Publications

Does Social Capital Have an Economic Payoff? A Cross-Country Investigation

Stephen Knack;Philip Keefer

12135
Citations
INSTITUTIONS AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: CROSS‐COUNTRY TESTS USING ALTERNATIVE INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES

Stephen Knack;Philip Keefer

7667
Citations
Trust and Growth

Paul J. Zak;Stephen Knack

4667
Citations
Social capital and the quality of Government: evidence from the U.S. States

Stephen Knack

2025
Citations
Foreign Aid, Institutions, and Governance in Sub‐Saharan Africa*

Deborah A. Bräutigam;Stephen Knack

1769
Citations
Gender and corruption

Anand V. Swamy;Stephen Knack;Young Lee;Omar Azfar

1648
Citations
WHY DON'T POOR COUNTRIES CATCH UP? A CROSS-NATIONAL TEST OF AN INSTITUTIONAL EXPLANATION

Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack

1394
Citations
Polarization, politics and property rights: Links between inequality and growth *

Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack

1189
Citations
Aid dependence and the quality of governance : a cross-country empirical analysis

Stephen Knack

1143
Citations
Aid Dependence and the Quality of Governance: Cross-Country Empirical Tests

Stephen Knack

1081
Citations
Contract-Intensive Money: Contract Enforcement, Property Rights, and Economic Performance

Christopher Clague;Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack;Mancur Olson

802
Citations
Donor fragmentation and bureaucratic quality in aid recipients

Stephen Knack;Aminur Rahman

785
Citations
Social capital and the quality of Government : evidence from the U.S. States

Stephen Knack

739
Citations
Property and Contract Rights in Autocracies and Democracies

Christopher Clague;Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack;Mancur Olson

698
Citations
Property and Contract Rights in Autocracies and Democracies

Christopher Clague;Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack;Mancur Olson

698
Citations
Does Foreign Aid Promote Democracy

Stephen Knack

690
Citations
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Six, One, or None?

Laura Langbein;Stephen Knack

613
Citations
Social Capital and the Quality of Government: Evidence from the States

Unknown

534
Citations
Social capital, growth, and poverty : a survey of cross-country evidence

Stephen Knack

524
Citations
Civic Norms, Social Sanctions, and Voter Turnout

Stephen Knack

514
Citations
Building Trust: Public Policy, Interpersonal Trust, and Economic Development

Stephen Knack;Paul J. Zak

432
Citations
The effect of aid on growth : evidence from a quasi-experiment

Sebastian Galiani;Stephen Knack;Lixin Colin Xu;Ben Zou

379
Citations
Foreign Aid and Market-Liberalizing Reform

Jac C. Heckelman;Stephen Knack

281
Citations
Trade intensity, country size and corruption

Stephen Knack;Omar Azfar

280
Citations
Boondoggles, Rent-Seeking, and Political Checks and Balances: Public Investment under Unaccountable Governments

Philip Keefer;Stephen Knack

270
Citations
Measuring Corruption in Eastern Europe and Central Asia : A Critique of the Cross-Country Indicators

Stephen Knack

264
Citations
Social Capital and the Quality of Government: Evidence from the United States

Stephen Knack

158
Citations
Gender and Corruption

Anand Swamy;Young Lee;Omar Azfar;Stephen Knack

108
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Philip Keefer Inter-American Development Bank

Paul J. Zak Claremont Graduate University

Mancur Olson University of Maryland, College Park

Lixin Colin Xu World Bank

Pamela Paxton The University of Texas at Austin

Helen V. Milner Princeton University

Sebastian Galiani University of Maryland, College Park

External Links

Personal website of Stephen Knack

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