| ID | 133025 |
| Title Proper | Was weber right |
| Other Title Information | Was weber right |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Stasavage, David |
| Publication | 2014. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Do strong property rights institutions always help, or might they sometimes actually hinder development? Since Max Weber and before, scholars have claimed that the presence of politically autonomous cities, controlled by merchant oligarchies guaranteeing property rights, helped lead to Europe's rise. Yet others suggest that autonomous cities were a hindrance to growth because rule by merchant guilds resulted in restrictions that stifled innovation and trade. I present new evidence and a new interpretation that reconcile the two views of city autonomy. I show that politically autonomous cities initially had higher population growth rates than nonautonomous cities, but over time this situation reversed itself. My evidence also suggests why autonomous cities eventually disappeared as a form of political organization. Instead of military weakness, it may have been their political institutions that condemned them to become obsolete. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol.108, No.2; May 2014: p.337-354 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review Vol.108, No.2; May 2014: p.337-354 |
| Key Words | Political Organization ; Political Institutions ; Autonomous Cities ; Population Growth Rates - PGR ; Politically Autonomous Cities - PAC ; Merchant Oligarchies ; Guaranteeing Property Rights ; Europe's Rise ; Political Growth ; Military Weakness ; International Trade |