IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/apsrev/v111y2017i03p622-636_00.html

Geography, Transparency, and Institutions

Author

Listed:
  • MAYSHAR, JORAM
  • MOAV, OMER
  • NEEMAN, ZVIKA

Abstract

We propose a theory in which geographic attributes explain cross-regional institutional differences in (1) the scale of the state, (2) the distribution of power within state hierarchy, and (3) property rights to land. In this theory, geography and technology affect the transparency of farming, and transparency, in turn, affects the elite’s ability to appropriate revenue from the farming sector, thus affecting institutions. We apply the theory to explain differences between the institutions of ancient Egypt, southern Mesopotamia, and northern Mesopotamia, and also discuss its relevance to modern phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Mayshar, Joram & Moav, Omer & Neeman, Zvika, 2017. "Geography, Transparency, and Institutions," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(3), pages 622-636, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:111:y:2017:i:03:p:622-636_00
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003055417000132/type/journal_article
    File Function: link to article abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Roland, Gerard, 2020. "The deep historical roots of modern culture: A comparative perspective," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 483-508.
    2. Hoang-Anh Ho, 2020. "Tying peasants to their land: The rise and fall of private property rights in historical Vietnam," eabh Papers 20-01, The European Association for Banking and Financial History (EABH).
    3. Jeffry Frieden & Arthur Silve, 2023. "The political reception of innovations," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 595-628, July.
    4. Desiree A. Desierto & Mark Koyama, 2025. "Feudal political economy," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 80(2), pages 619-658, September.
    5. Melissa Rubio-Ramos & Christian Isendahl & Ola Olsson, 2024. "The Political Economy of Bread and Circuses: Weather Shocks and Classic Maya Monument Construction," CESifo Working Paper Series 11439, CESifo.
    6. Oded Galor & Ömer Özak, 2016. "The Agricultural Origins of Time Preference," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(10), pages 3064-3103, October.
    7. Matranga, Andrea, 2017. "The Ant and the Grasshopper: Seasonality and the Invention of Agriculture," MPRA Paper 76626, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ho, Hoang-Anh, 2023. "Land rights in historical Vietnam: Theory and evidence," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    9. Hoang-Anh Ho & Peter Martinsson & Ola Olsson, 2022. "The origins of cultural divergence: evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 45-89, March.
    10. Anderlini, L. & Felli, L. & Piccone, M., 2022. "The Emergence of Enforcement," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2250, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    11. Nils-Petter Lagerlöf, 2021. "Multiple steady statehood: the roles of productive and extractive capacities," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 113-152, June.
    12. Benati, Giacomo & Guerriero, Carmine & Zaina, Federico, 2022. "The origins of political institutions and property rights," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 946-968.
    13. Dal Bó, Ernesto & Hernández-Lagos, Pablo & Mazzuca, Sebastián, 2022. "The Paradox of Civilization: Preinstitutional Sources of Security and Prosperity," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 116(1), pages 213-230, February.
    14. 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).
    15. Lagerlöf, Nils-Petter, 2016. "Statehood, democracy and preindustrial development," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 58-72.
    16. Rubio-Ramos, Melissa & Isendahl, Christian & Olsson, Ola, 2024. "The Political Economy of Bread and Circuses: Weather Shocks and Classic Maya Monument Construction," Working Papers in Economics 850, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    17. Laura Mayoral & Ola Olsson, 2025. "Floods, droughts, and environmental circumscription in early state development: the case of ancient Egypt," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 271-305, June.
    18. 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.
    19. Ho, Hoang-Anh & Martinsson, Peter & Olsson, Ola, 2017. "The Origins of Cultural Divergence: Evidence from a Developing Country," Working Papers in Economics 714, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics, revised Jun 2018.
    20. Melissa Rubio-Ramos & Christian Isendahl & Ola Olsson, 2024. "The Political Economy of Bread and Circuses: Weather Shocks and Classic Maya Monument Construction," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 342, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:111:y:2017:i:03:p:622-636_00. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kirk Stebbing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cambridge.org/psr .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.