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The Economic Origins of the Territorial State

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  • Abramson, Scott F

Abstract

This paper challenges the long-standing belief that changes in patterns of war and war making caused the emergence of large territorial states. Using new data describing the universe of European states between 1100 and 1790, I find that small political units continued to thrive well into the “age of the territorial state.” Some scholars have argued that changes in the production of violence led to the dominance of geographically large political units during this era. In contrast, I find evidence that variation in patterns of economic development and urban growth caused fragmented political authority in some places and the construction of geographically large territorial states in others. Exploiting random climatic deviations in the propensity of certain geographical areas to support large populations, I show via an instrumental-variables approach that the emergence of towns and cities caused the formation of small and independent states.

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  • Abramson, Scott F, 2017. "The Economic Origins of the Territorial State," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(1), pages 97-130, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:intorg:v:71:y:2017:i:01:p:97-130_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Koyama, Mark & Jedwab, Remi & Johnson, Noel, 2020. "Medieval Cities Through the Lens of Urban Economic Theories," CEPR Discussion Papers 14828, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Jordan Adamson, 2021. "The scope of political jurisdictions and violence: theory and evidence from Africa," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 186(3), pages 467-490, March.
    3. Jordan Adamson & Erik O Kimbrough, 2023. "The supply side determinants of territory," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(2), pages 209-225, March.
    4. Jordan Adamson & Erik O. Kimbrough, 2018. "The Supply Side Determinants of Territory and Conflict," Working Papers 18-10, Chapman University, Economic Science Institute.
    5. Cervellati, Matteo & Lazzaroni, Sara & Prarolo, Giovanni & Vanin, Paolo, 2022. "An Economic Theory of the Evolution of the States System, and Evidence for Europe 1000-1800," CEPR Discussion Papers 13719, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Jesús Fernández-Villaverde & Mark Koyama & Youhong Lin & Tuan-Hwee Sng, 2023. "The Fractured-Land Hypothesis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 138(2), pages 1173-1231.
    7. Agustín Goenaga & Oriol Sabaté & Jan Teorell, 2023. "The state does not live by warfare alone: War and revenue in the long nineteenth century," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 393-418, April.
    8. Huning, Thilo R. & Wahl, Fabian, 2023. "You reap what you know: Appropriability and the origin of European states," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    9. Razvan Stefanescu & Ramona Dumitriu, 2019. "The Economic Dimension of A Decision on a Territorial Exchange: Southern Bessarabia for Northern Dobruja," Risk in Contemporary Economy, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, pages 226-236.
    10. Guy Schvitz & Luc Girardin & Seraina Rüegger & Nils B. Weidmann & Lars-Erik Cederman & Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, 2022. "Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 66(1), pages 144-161, January.
    11. Hannah Simpson, 2023. "Access to justice in revenue-seeking legal institutions," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 35(2), pages 75-99, April.
    12. Jedwab, Remi & Johnson, Noel D. & Koyama, Mark, 2022. "Medieval cities through the lens of urban economics," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    13. Volckart, Oliver, 2023. "How well-integrated was the sixteenth-century Holy Roman Empire?," Economic History Working Papers 118264, London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Economic History.

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