This is a modern economic and institutional history of European grain markets. This book examines the markets' early regulation, their poor performance and the frequent market failures. Using insights from development economics and econometrics, Persson also extracts general lessons from this...

Early market regulation to 1327 -- The response of Edward II and his government to the Great Famine -- The food riots of 1347 -- Royal paternalism and the response to dearth, 1349-1376 -- Scarcity and food riots, 1377-1439 -- Harvest failure and scarcity in the reign of Henry VIII -- The...