China is undergoing its long-awaited industrial revolution. There is no shortage of commentary and opinion on this dramatic period, but few have attempted to provide a coherent, in-depth, politicaleconomic framework that explains the fundamental mechanisms behind China’s rapid...

This paper examines the impact of trade liberalizations on government revenues. Using a new dataset on tax revenues for 130 countries between 1792 and 2006 we find that on average countries were able to recover the tax revenues lost by liberalizing trade by using other sources of revenue. There...

The corporate governance breakdowns of the first decade of the 21st century, including the misaligned incentives that helped to cause the crisis of 2008, suggest an urgent need for reforms beyond those mandated by Dodd-Frank. This book offers reform recommendations based on the relatively...

We show that current differences in trust levels within former Soviet Union countries can be traced back to the system of forced prison labor during Stalin's rule, which was marked by high incarceration rates, repression, and harsh punishments. We argue that those exposed to forced labor camps...

We show that current differences in trust levels within former Soviet Union countries can be traced back to the system of forced prison labor during Stalin's rule, which was marked by high incarceration rates, repression, and harsh punishments. We argue that those exposed to forced labor camps...

Over the course of a quarter of a millennium industrial capitalism has emerged from four deep recessions brought on by the bursting of commodity bubbles to achieve sustained economic growth by instituting progressive policies. These policies promote market success by reinforce entrepreneurial...

According to the literature, historical episodes of local self-governing institutions can explain why differences in socio-economic performances among different territories can persist over centuries. Such assumption has been tested comparing free city-states (Communes) and feudal towns in...