Economic History Commons^™

A Political Theory Of Kulturkampf: Evidence From Imperial Prussia & Republican Turkey, Ioannis N. Grigoriadis, Theocharis Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

No abstract provided.

Religion, Administration & Public Goods: Experimental Evidence From Russia, Theocharis N. Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

In this paper, I argue that religion matters for the provision of public goods. I identify three normative foundations of Eastern Orthodox monasticism with strong economic implications: 1. solidarity, 2. obedience, and 3. universal discipline. I propose and solve a public goods game with a three-tier hierarchy, where these norms are modeled as treatments. Obedience and universal discipline facilitate the provision of threshold public goods in equilibrium, whereas solidarity does not. Empirical evidence is drawn from public goods experiments run with regional bureaucrats in Tomsk and Novosibirsk, Russia. The introduction of the same three norms as experimental treatments produces different …

Uniform Service, Uniform Productivity? Regional Efficiency Of The Imperial German Postal, Telegraph, And Telephone Service., Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Using the regional productivity of the Reichspost, the postal service of the German Empire, I investigate whether a public monopolist operates with uniform regional productivity. Using data envelopment analysis efficiency scores, we derive the relative productivity of the post,telegraph,andtelephonesectorsfrom1891to1908.Resultsshow a fairly stable system with substantial raw productivity differences between postal districts, and that the expansion of the service offset technological productivity increases for the mail service.

Religious Origins Of Democracy & Dictatorship, Theocharis Grigoriadis

Theocharis Grigoriadis

Weber considered the Protestant work ethic the foundation of modern capitalism. I extend Weber’s theory by arguing that states with predominantly Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Muslim populations have had a stronger inclination toward underdevelopment and dictatorship than states with Protestant or Jewish majorities. This is the case because their respective religious collectives (monastery, tariqa) promote the hierarchical provision of common goods at the expense of market incentives. I define the aforementioned three religions as collectivist, in contrast to Protestantism and Judaism, which I define as individualist. I provide a historical overview that designates the Jewish kibbutz as the collective …

Guía General De Escuelas Y Corrientes De Pensamiento Económico., Sergio A. Berumen

Sergio A. Berumen

Guía general de las principales Escuelas y corrientes de Pensamiento Económico. Se hace una descripción por grupos y épocas. Este material docente es de libre acceso, favor de citarlo como sigue: SERGIO A. BERUMEN [2015]. "Guía General de Escuelas y Corrientes de Pensamiento Económico", Lecciones de Economía para No Economistas, ESIC, Business & Marketing School, 2ª edición, Madrid. ISBN. 978-84-15986-86-7. sergio.berumen@urjc.es

General Guide Of Schools Of Economic Thought, Sergio A. Berumen

Sergio A. Berumen

This educational material is freely accessible. Please quote it in the following way: SERGIO A. BERUMEN [2015]. "General Guide To Schools Of Economic Thought", Lecciones de Economía para No Economistas, ESIC, Business & Marketing School, 2nd edition, Madrid. ISBN. 978-84-15986-86-7. sergio.berumen@urjc.es

‘By A Silken Thread’: Regional Banking Integration And Pathways To Financial Development In Japan’S Great Recession, Mathias Hoffmann, Toshihiro Okubo

Mathias Hoffmann

Regional differences in banking integration and bank dependence interacted in spreading Japan’s Great Recession after 1990. Nationwide banks were generally more exposed to the crisis than regional ones, but their internal capital markets also substantially dampened the impact of the crisis in prefectures with many bank-dependent small firms. We instrument for modern-day banking inte- gration using the prefecture-level importance of the late-19th-century silk industry: export finance for the silk industry relied on local, cooperative banks. These local banks preserved their comparative advantage in relationship lending to small firms for a century, effectively segmenting regional banking markets during Japan’s lost decade.

The Birth Of The U.S. Federal Reserve, Richard A. Naclerio Prof.

Richard A. Naclerio

On November 16, 2014 the United States Federal Reserve celebrated the centennial of its organization. Its one hundred year legacy has left no doubt of its vast monetary control, its far-reaching geopolitical power, and its enigmatic secrecy. These defining features of the Fed remain a mirror of the men who created it. Wall Street barons and ambitious politicians vied for control over shaping the U.S. Federal Reserve to the specifications that suited the needs of both their country and themselves.

This paper covers men like Senator Nelson Aldrich, J.P. Morgan, Jacob Schiff, and Paul M. Warburg, who were the undeniable …

Bolívar Empresario, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

Dinero Y Soberanía, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

Spanning The Globe: The Rise Of Global Communications Systems And The First Globalisation, Florian Ploeckl, Markus Lampe

Florian Ploeckl

After postulating the relevance of information for trade costs we outline the rise of international communication networks (mail, telegraph, telephone) during the first globalisation of the long nineteenth century. In this period, global communications systems for the first time in history provided universal access to affordable and reliable means of communication. Using a new set of internationally comparable data on global postal flows, we analyse basic determinants of international information exchange and conclude by outlining a research agenda that links these to international trade patterns and knowledge transfer between countries.

Economic Importance Of Keynesian And Neoclassical Economic Theories To Development, Prince Opoku Agyemang

Prince Opoku Agyemang

No abstract provided.

An Academic Parable: Robert W. Fogel's Raft, Heitor Moura Filho

Heitor Moura Filho

The book Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery, by Robert W. Fogel and Stanley L. Engerman achieved great fame as a revolutionary interpretation of North American slavery, even though at the time it was criticized in detail by specialists in quantitative economic history. We believe that to quote it as a pioneering quantitative study of slavery has become an academic “meme”, which does not adequately reflect the severe criticism suffered by the book during the years following its publication. This text looks back to the book’s release and the subsequent debates in the ideological and methodological …

Ius Primae Noctis. Las Instituciones Como Causa De La Riqueza De Las Naciones, Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

El secreto mejor guardado por los economistas es su ignorancia sobre la verdadera causa de la riqueza de las naciones. Adam Smith sostuvo que la riqueza de las naciones era resultado de una organización industrial basada en la división del trabajo. Robert Solow afirma que el aumento de la producción es consecuencia de una variable misteriosa y caprichosa llamada "progreso técnico". Algunos economistas, por su parte, afirman que el progreso es consecuencia de una mayor acumulación de capital físico (maquinarias, edificios, vehículos de transporte, etc) y capital humano (aprendiza laboral y educación formal). Sin embargo, estudios recientes demuestran que todos …

Banks And The World's Major Banking Centers, 2010, Adrian E. Tschoegl, Sang Rim Choi, Daekun Park

Adrian E Tschoegl

We update three earlier articles on the determinants of interpenetration of financial centers by banks by adding the year 2010 to our analyses for 1970 and 1980, 1990, and 2000. In addition, we also re-estimate our model to include data for Beijing/Shanghai, and add those emerging centers for 2010. First, the number of banks in our data and the number of their offices in other centers has fallen by 46% and 24% since peaking in 1990. Second, even so our matrix saw less turbulence than in the prior two decades as density and number of presences in other centers per …

¿Hasta Cuándo Las Ofensas?, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

Un Repaso. Desde La Mano Invisible A La Resurrección De Keynes, Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

La revolución industrial capitalista y la consolidación de la economía liberal, cambiaron el curso de la historia. Hoy por hoy, el desarrollo de la tecnología y la capacidad de la economía para interpretar estos avances han desplazado a la filosofía como fuente de transformación y cambio del sistema mundial. En las relaciones internacionales, por ejemplo, las doctrinas westfalianas de seguridad y soberanía han sido debilitadas por la globalización y la nterdependencia económica. En el campo social, los problemas de la pobreza, de la distribución de ingreso y de la falta de acceso a las oportunidades, son comprensibles a la luz …

Especialización Industrial Y Crecimiento Urbano En México, Isaac L. Sánchez-Juárez, Rosa M. García-Almada

Isaac Sánchez-Juárez

La temática abordada es la especialización industrial y el crecimiento urbano en México. Hacemos uso del análisis econométrico retrospectivo, esperando que el estudio del pasado ayude a entender lo que ocurre en el presente. Consideramos que la investigación que ponemos en sus manos puede ser de utilidad para aquellos investigadores ocupados en entender la reestructuración productiva del territorio mexicano, particularmente a partir de la operación del TLCAN.

Alza, Caída Y Resurgimiento De La Economía Japonesa-Lecciones, Guillermo Arosemena

Guillermo Arosemena

No abstract provided.

The Internal Impact Of A Customs Union; Baden And The Zollverein, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Tariffs can affect the growth of states. But how do they affect regional growth within states? Using Baden's 1836 entry into the Zollverein, the customs union of German states, I investigate the internal impact of a change in tariffs. With a new data set of regional employment data I demonstrate that the Zollverein had a substantial positive effect. Two market access effects are shown, one follows the standard market access predictions and the second triggers the direct investment by Swiss entrepreneurs in German regions close to their home base. Furthermore occupational change within the crafts sector was shifting labour towards …

A Theory Without A Movement, A Hope Without A Name: The Future Of Marxism In A Post-Marxist World, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Just as Marx's insights into capitalism have been most strikingly vindicated by the rise of neoliberalism and the near-collapse of the world economy, Marxism as social movement has become bereft of support. Is there any point in people who find Marx's analysis useful in clinging to the term "Marxism" - which Marx himself rejected -- at time when self-identified Marxist organizations and societies have collapsed or renounced the identification, and Marxism own working class constituency rejects the term? I set aside bad reasons to give on "Marxism," such as that the theory is purportedly refuted, that its adoption leads necessarily …

¿Quo Vadis Paraguay? ¿A Westfalia O Al Mercosur?, Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

Francisco Carlos Ruiz Diaz

Las relaciones políticas y económicas entre países están estrechamente vinculadas entre sí. Para entender los cambios en la economía mundial, es necesario ahondar en los aspectos centrales de la política internacional, o en otras palabras, de las relaciones internacionales. El sistema actual de las relaciones internacionales se sustenta sobre pilares de los Tratados de Paz de Westfalia de 1648. Estos acuerdos se firmaron con el propósito de poner fin a la guerra de los treinta años, librada entre las potencias hegemónicas de la Europa del Siglo XVII. Los dos aportes más importantes de estos Tratados fueron la imposición del concepto …

Slavery And Information, Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

This article shows how asymmetric information shaped slavery by determining the likelihood of manumission. A theoretical model explains the need to offer positive incentive to slaves working in occupations characterized by a high degree of asymmetric information. As a result, masters freed (and, more generally, rewarded) slaves who performed well. The model’s implications are then tested against the available evidence: both in Rome and in the Atlantic world, slaves with high-asymmetric-information tasks had greater chances of manumission. The analysis also sheds light on the master’s choices of carrots versus sticks and of labor versus slavery.

Local Convergence: Baden 1829-1847, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

This paper investigates whether internal institutional homogenisation during nation-state formation led to internal local convergence. We use the case of Baden with a new economic measure based on tax revenues derived from archival records. Our measure of local economic activity shows no evidence for convergence, unconditional or conditional, for the period 1829–1847. However, looking at sub-periods the six year interval after Baden's 1836 entry into the Zollverein customs union exhibits an adjustment effect resembling absolute convergence. Rejecting urbanisation as the reason behind this pattern we discuss alternative mechanisms in particular the reallocation of labour.

The Bank Of Tanzania (Bot) As The Custodian Of The Tanzanian Economy: Opportunities And Challenges, Conrad John Masabo Mr.

Conrad John Masabo Mr.

When Tanzania embarked on fundamental transformation of its economy almost two decades ago one of the top agenda in the economic reforms was the need to overhaul the financial system. And in view of pivotal role it plays in the country’s economy, the banking sector was the first to undergo reforms. Implementation of the reforms followed recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the need to modernize the banking sector dubbed the Nyirabu Commission. The BOT Act of 1995 was a landmark in Tanzania’s monetary history by adopting a single policy objective, i.e. price stability and moving away from multiple-policy objectives. …

Credit And Debt In Economic Theory: Which Way Forward?, Thorvald Grung Moe

Thorvald Grung Moe

Background paper for INET workshop on Debt and finance in economics in Waterloo, Toronto nov. 2012

Back To The Future Of Green Powered Economies, Juan B. Moreno-Cruz, M. Scott Taylor

Juan B. Moreno-Cruz

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of power density [Watts/m2] into economics. By introducing an explicit spatial structure into a simple general equilibrium model we are able to show how the power density of available energy resources determines the extent of energy exploitation, the density of urban agglomerations, and the peak level of income per capita. Using a simple Malthusian model to sort population across geographic space we demonstrate how the density of available energy supplies creates density in energy demands by agglomerating economic activity. We label this result the density-creates-density hypothesis and evaluate it using …

Luxury In Ancient Rome: Scope, Timing And Enforcement Of Sumptuary Laws, Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci, Anna Plisecka

Giuseppe Dari-Mattiacci

Between 182 BC and 18 BC, Roman lawmakers enacted a series of sumptuary laws regulating banquets (including the number of guests and the consumption of specific foods). Enforcement was hardly successful and these regulations had to be reiterated over time. Traditional explanations based on morals, protection of patrimonies and electoral competition do not fully account for the scope, timing and enforcement patterns of such laws. We advance and formalize a novel hypothesis holding that sumptuary legislation originated from the misalignment between political and economic power following the military and economic expansion of Rome in the last two centuries of the …

Market Access And Information Technology Adoption: Historical Evidence From The Telephone In Bavaria, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

Information technology, like the telephone, influences market access; this paper answers the question about a reverse effect, does market access affect information technology, in particular its adoption? Using the historical case of the introduction of the telephone in Bavaria, I demonstrate with a rank, order and stock effects diffusion model how market access affects the diffusion of local telephone exchanges over towns as well as the rate of adoption of telephone lines within towns. The results of a duration analysis show that market access speeds up the diffusion, a spatial correlation specification demonstrates that this is not just a geographic …

Space, Settlements, Towns: The Influence Of Geography And Market Access On Settlement Distribution And Urbanization, Florian Ploeckl

Florian Ploeckl

The spatial distribution of economic activity is strongly linked to the structure of the urban system. The origin and development of the spatial pattern of this system is separated into two stages, the diffusion of settlements and their potential transition to urban status. The theoretical framework incor porates the influence of geographic characteristics and location interdependence as central mechanisms in both stages. Their relative importance for both is tested empirically with the historical settlement pattern in Saxony as a case study. After investigating with a spatial point process approach how geographic endowments and location interdependence shape the spatial distribution of …