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The Law of Primogeniture and the Transition from Landed Aristocracy to Industrial Democracy

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Graziella Bertocchi

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Abstract

We study the connection between inheritance systems and the historical evolution of the relationship between a society’s economic structure and its political system, with a focus on Europe from feudal times. The model predicts that, in an early agrarian phase, aristocratic political systems prevail, while democracies tend to emerge with industrialization. At the same time, as indivisible landed estates are replaced by capital as the primary source of wealth, the inheritance system evolves endogenously from primogeniture to partition. The dynamics of output, distribution, class structure and political participation are in turn reinforced by the system of intergenerational wealth transmission, with primogeniture tending to concentration and partition to equalization. Copyright Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2006

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File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10887-006-7405-4
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Article provided by Springer in its journal Journal of Economic Growth.

Volume (Year): 11 (2006)
Issue (Month): 1 (03)
Pages: 43-70
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Handle: RePEc:kap:jecgro:v:11:y:2006:i:1:p:43-70

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Keywords: Primogeniture Land Aristocracy Industrialization Democracy O40 P10 J12 N10 K19 Q15

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References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Humberto Llavador & Robert Oxoby, 2003. "Partisan Competition, Growth and the Franchise," Economics Working Papers 730, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Sep 2004. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Fali Huang, 2006. "The Coevolution of Economic and Political Development," Working Papers 22-2006, Singapore Management University, School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Sayantan Ghosal & Eugenio Proto, 2006. "Why did (not) the East Extend the Franchise? Democracy, Intra-Elite Conflict and Risk Sharing," DEGIT Conference Papers c011_032, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade. [Downloadable!]
  4. Galor, Oded & Moav, Omer & Vollrath, Dietrich, 2003. "Land Inequality and the Origin of Divergence and Overtaking in the Growth Process: Theory and Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 3817, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Graziella Bertocchi, 2007. "The Enfranchisement of Women and the Welfare State," IZA Discussion Papers 2922, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "The Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions in the Process of Development," GE, Growth, Math methods 0508008, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  7. Ghosal, Sayantan & Proto, Eugenio, 2006. "Enfranchisement, Intra-Elite Conflict and Bargaining," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 750, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Gradstein, Mark, 2004. "Inequality, Democracy and the Emergence of Institutions," CEPR Discussion Papers 4187, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2004. "Land Inequality and the Origin of Divergence and Overtaking in the Growth Process," GE, Growth, Math methods 0410004, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  10. Ghosal, Sayantan & Proto, Eugenio, 2007. "The Transition to Democracy : Collective Action and Intra-elite Confict," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 807, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  11. Nils-Petter Lagerloef, 2003. "Sex, Equality, and Growth (in that order)," Macroeconomics 0310014, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  12. Bertocchi, Graziella, 2007. "The Vanishing Bequest Tax: The Comparative Evolution of Bequest Taxation in Historical Perspective," CEPR Discussion Papers 6115, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Galor, Oded & Michalopoulos, Stelios, 2006. "The Evolution of Entrepreneurial Spirit and the Process of Development," CEPR Discussion Papers 6022, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "Land Inequality and the Emergence of Human Capital Promoting Institutions," Development and Comp Systems 0502018, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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