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Understanding the Politics of Perikles Around 450 BC. The Benefits of an Economic Perspective

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  • Lyttkens, Carl Hampus

    (Department of Economics, Lund University)

  • Gerding, Henrik

    (Department of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University)

Abstract

Perikles is usually seen as a great statesman and clever leader of the Athenians. In the mid fifth century BC, he seems however to have been in serious political trouble and may well have been in danger of losing the struggle for power and of being ostracised. The fact that his incentives changed considerably at this point in time is ignored in traditional historical accounts. In contrast, we see the fierce competition as a motivation for several important policy measures introduced by Perikles at this particular time: the pay to jurors, the new law on citizenship (which has been a puzzle to many historians), and the building projects on the Acropolis and elsewhere. Compared to traditional analyses, an economic rational-actor approach thus provides a diachronic analytical benefit by focusing on the way incentives change over time and it provides a synchronic benefit by dealing with various decisions in a common framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Lyttkens, Carl Hampus & Gerding, Henrik, 2015. "Understanding the Politics of Perikles Around 450 BC. The Benefits of an Economic Perspective," Working Papers 2015:13, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:lunewp:2015_013
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    File URL: http://project.nek.lu.se/publications/workpap/papers/wp15_13.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lyttkens, Carl Hampus & Gerding, Henrik, 2019. "Coping with Chronic Warfare. The Athenian Experience," Working Papers 2019:17, Lund University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economics; ancient history; Athens; Perikles; law on citizenship; Parthenon; payment to jurors;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B40 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - General
    • K37 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Immigration Law
    • N43 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Europe: Pre-1913

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