Having a relatively high standard of living was the best determinant of a democracy's success, Barro found. Other factors contributing to success include having a large number of citizens who follow either Protestant, Catholic, or Hindu religions, and being a former British or Spanish colony. Having a large population of adherents to other eastern religions or Islam, and being a former French, Portuguese, or other colony were determinant of failure, Barro found. A high level of primary schooling and a large middle class also favored success, whereas having a high level of secondary schooling did not predict success, he found. Reported in the Journal of Political Economy , December 1999.
Most major universities use their athletic programs as fund-raising tools.
But economists Thomas A. Rhodes of the University of Maryland and Shelby Gerking of the University of Wyoming say that improving academic standards is the best way to draw money from alumni. Their study of 87 universities from 1986 to 1996 found that winning a football bowl game boosted alumni gifts per student by about 7.3 percent in the victory year, while having a basketball team placed on probation lowered gifts by 13.6 percent. But the impact on alumni donations did not last. On the other hand, factors that increased the quality of the faculty or of the student body stimulated more generous alumni giving over the long term. The John Locke Foundation welcomes comments and ideas for improvement.