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The Price of Legal Institutions: The Beratlı Merchants in the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire

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  • Artunç, Cihan

Abstract

In the eighteenth century, European embassies in the Ottoman Empire started selling exemption licenses called berats, which granted non-Muslim Ottomans tax exemptions and the option to use European law. I construct a novel price panel for British and French licenses based on primary sources. The evidence reveals that prices were significantly high and varied across countries. Agents acquired multiple berats to enhance their legal options, which they exploited through strategic court switching. By the early 1800s, berat holders had driven other groups from European-Ottoman trade.

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  • Artunç, Cihan, 2015. "The Price of Legal Institutions: The Beratlı Merchants in the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(3), pages 720-748, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:75:y:2015:i:03:p:720-748_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Seven Ağır, 2023. "The ‘Missing Middle’: A Historical-Institutional Perspective on the Stagnation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Turkey," ERC Working Papers 2305, ERC - Economic Research Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Nov 2023.

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