This dissertation explores economic development challenges countries face at different stages of growth by examining two distinct contexts: fiscal capacity building in developing nations and human capital constraints in advanced economies. The first chapter investigates how citizens respond politically to state investments in fiscal capacity, specifically land registration in Nigeria. While land registration can improve public goods provision and enable property-based lending, it may also facilitate taxation and targeting by authorities. Using novel spatial data from a World Bank policy that incentivized Nigerian states to register urban properties, I find that communities with registered properties reduced their support for incumbent parties by 3.8 percentage points in subsequent state elections. This political cost was substantially higher (4.2-8.8 percentage points) in areas lacking basic public infrastructure, but insignificant in regions with adequate infrastructure. These results suggest constituents may become more receptive once benefits become visible, an important implication for policymakers in making more informed fiscal capacity rollouts. The second chapter examines how childrearing affected scientific productivity by gender in the U.S. in the early 1900s. Using biographies from the American Men of Science (1956) linked with publication data, I demonstrate that mothers exhibited a distinct productivity pattern: unlike other scientists who peaked in their mid-30s, mothers experienced productivity declines during this period and reached peak productivity in their early-40s. Mothers’ productivity declined until their children reached school age, while fathers experienced no change. These differences significantly impacted career trajectories—only 27% of mothers achieved tenure, compared to 48% of fathers and 46% of women without children. Census-matching reveals approximately 22% of women are “missing” from the generation of baby boom parents, implying a substantial loss in female role models and innovations that benefit women. Together, these chapters illuminate barriers to economic development across different contexts and development stages.