Economic history has taken a more micro and theoretical approach. The resulting work has shed considerable light on the functioning of institutions, on which institutions matter, and to some extent on why. However, it has paid insufficient attention to the nature of the overall economic process...

In pre-industrial Europe, the pace of economic development and growth varied across territories and over time. Much of this variation was due to the changing impact of government on the economies in question. Government affected the economy principally through its command of violence. We...

In pre-industrial Europe, government and the economy developed together, each influencing the other. The development of each was shaped by competition. Governments competed for territory, principally by means of war. Their success depended primarily on their ability to mobilize resources. So...