If stable and efficient banks are such a good idea, why are they so rare? -- The game of bank bargains -- Tools of conquest and survival : why states need banks -- Privileges with burdens : war, empire, and the monopoly structure of English banking -- Banks and democracy : Britain in the...

There is a broad consensus that bankers in LDCs engage in related (insider) lending. There is not, however, a consensus as to whether related lending has a positive or negative effect on economic growth. We argue that related lending has negative consequences for growth compared to the outcome...

Introduction: the puzzle of growth in dictatorships -- Network theory of private protection -- Political institutions and consolidated dictatorship -- Private policies -- Stable pool of private enforcers -- Network of private protection -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Network data -- Notes --...