Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade

Avner Greif

Cambridge University Press, Jan 16, 2006 - Political Science - 503 pages

It is widely believed that current disparities in economic, political, and social outcomes reflect distinct institutions. Institutions are invoked to explain why some countries are rich and others poor, some democratic and others dictatorial. But arguments of this sort gloss over the question of what institutions are, how they come about, and why they persist. This book seeks to overcome these problems, which have exercised economists, sociologists, political scientists, and a host of other researchers who use the social sciences to study history, law, and business administration.

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Review: Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade

User Review  - Joshua - Goodreads

Greif was on the losing end (IMO!) of one of the more interesting debates in economic history. If you're interested, check out Sheilagh Ogilvie's reply on the Maghribi traders.

Contents

• Introduction: 3
• Institutions and Transactions: 29
• Institutions as Systems in Equilibria: 55
• Securing Property Rights from the Grabbing Hand: 91
• Endogenous Institutions and GameTheoretic Analysis: 124
• Institutional Dynamics as a Historical Process: 153
• Current Ones: 187
• Cultural Beliefs and the Organization of Society: 269
• FV The Empirical Method of Comparative and Historical: 305
• Interactive ContextSpecific Analysis: 350
• Institutions History and Development: 379
• Appendixes: 407
• B Is Homo Sociologicus Strategic?: 421
• ReputationBased PrivateOrder: 428
• References: 453
• Index: 489

About the author

Avner Greif is the Bowman Family Endowed Professor in Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University where he teaches economics. He is the recipient of fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometrics Society, and the MacArthur Foundation. He has published articles in American Political Science Review, European Review of Economic History, Chicago Journal of International Law, and the Journal of Political Economy as well as many edited books. Greif is also a co-author of Analytic Narrative (Princeton University Press, 1998).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Institutions and the Path to the Modern Economy: Lessons from Medieval Trade; Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions
• Author: Avner Greif
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006
• ISBN: 0521480442, 9780521480444
• Length: 503 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Commerce; Business & Economics / Economic History; Political Science / Comparative Politics; Political Science / General; Political Science / Political Economy; Political Science / Public Policy / Economic Policy