We investigate differences in the economic performance of secular and religious local rulers in Medieval England. Exploiting the Norman conquest of England as a historical experiment, we compare economic outcomes of estates controlled by secular feudal landlords, Benedictine monasteries and...

Rich economies are characterized by the coincidence of, on the one hand, high state capacity and, on the other, well-functioning markets and the rule of law. They have states that are powerful and centralized and yet also limited. Furthermore, relatively low rates of shadow economic activity and...

The standard political economy narrative of representative assemblies in Western Europe is one of political bargaining and credible commitments. Monarchs sought to bargain with the leading men of the realms, exchanging their commitments on various policies for revenues and other resources. This...

In this study we evaluate the role that Mediterranean Medieval trade with Africa and the Middle-East still plays today in Italian politics by shaping the attitudes towards migrants of individuals that live close to Medieval ports. Trade connections between Medieval ports and Muslim Africa and...

In pre-industrial Europe, many of the functions performed today by large corporations and governments were performed by merchant associations of various types - merchant guilds, regulated companies, merchant-controlled cities, and merchant colonies. Merchant association provided their members...

Property rights -- Jews in the market for land -- Lords of the land?: Jews as rentiers and cultivators -- Dowries, wills and gifts: property and the tranifer of wealth -- The link between credit and land -- The economic case for property: asset choices, risk and return -- Credit and property in...