The Rise of Effective States in Europe

Abstract

This review article examines the development of state capacity—the extractive and productive power of states— in European history. To explain the historical evolution of state capacity, I focus on the role of political innovations. I relate state capacity improvements to long-run economic growth and the establishment of twentieth-century welfare states. The article concludes with historical lessons for developing nations today. “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”James Madison (1788, p. 257)

El hiperpresidencialismo como resultado de la interacción entre presidencialismo fuerte y populismo

“…En cuanto a la teoría sobre ambos fenómenos, en primer lugar, se puede airmar que el presidencialismo constituye una forma de gobierno dentro del conjunto de las alternativas posibles de los sistemas republicanos. Su origen remonta a la independencia de los Estados Unidos (1776) y la justiicación de su existencia atiene a la necesidad de asegurar un poder estatal fuerte (Gros, 2002;Dincecco, 2015) pero con las limitaciones de naturaleza democrática, identiicadas por los ilósofos políticos de la corriente de la ilustración (elección popular, limitación temporal al mandato, posibilidad de revoca del mandato, etc.). Como forma de gobierno, el presidencialismo se fundamenta en tres pilares normativos, que lo distinguen de los sistemas alternativos y que deinen las características de su naturaleza: la elección directa del presidente; la posesión conjunta de la jefatura de Estado y de de gobierno por parte del mandatario; la existencia de atribuciones normativas del presidente concurrentes con las del órgano legislativo (Linz,199).…”

Sources of State Revenue and State Effectiveness: The Nigerian Experience

“…The final result of the process was state consolidation throughout Japan by 1600. Dincecco (2015) Using a trend analysis highlighted the importance of political reforms that promotes both state strength and efficiency. Dincecco (2015) found that during the period that Guatemalan government collected revenues equivalent to less than 10 percent of GDP, Police, prosecutors, and court officials were under-funded and Guatemala had one of the world's highest murder rates.…”

“…Dincecco (2015) Using a trend analysis highlighted the importance of political reforms that promotes both state strength and efficiency. Dincecco (2015) found that during the period that Guatemalan government collected revenues equivalent to less than 10 percent of GDP, Police, prosecutors, and court officials were under-funded and Guatemala had one of the world's highest murder rates. He concluded that National governments must have the political and administrative capacity to raise enough revenue through taxes in order to provide adequate basic public services and strong institutional quality.…”

Feudal bargain in Prague: The rise, spread, and fall of craft guilds

“…In addition to contributing to research on the development of guilds, this paper also closely relates to two other literatures. The first explores the historical institutions that emerged in response to rulers' needs to raise extra revenues (for an overview, see Dincecco, 2015). Bates and Donald Lien (1985), and North and Weingast (1989) point out how creating representative assemblies made taxation to cover government expenses, including war expenses, possible.…”