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Loading... Violence and Social Orders: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History (2009)by Douglass C. North, John Joseph Wallis, Barry R. Weingast
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All societies must deal with the possibility of violence, and they do so in different ways. This book integrates the problem of violence into a larger social science and historical framework, showing how economic and political behavior are closely linked. Most societies, which we call natural states, limit violence by political manipulation of the economy to create privileged interests. These privileges limit the use of violence by powerful individuals, but doing so hinders both economic and political development. In contrast, modern societies create open access to economic and political organizations, fostering political and economic competition. The book provides a framework for understanding the two types of social orders, why open access societies are both politically and economically more developed, and how some 25 countries have made the transition between the two types. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)306.301Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Economic institutionsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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In my view this is a trail-blazing theory of history, hopefully one that can finally lay to rest the tired old theories of ”capitalism” which are still being written today. It poses a new research framework for historians of all periods, and a new interpretive lens even for laymen who like to read political history. The historical examples the authors use to back up their theory are the least interesting parts of this book because they don’t really synthesize the theory very clearly. This may reflect the fact that this book had three co-authors, and the historian among them perhaps wanted to be careful not to overstate his generalizations. But this does not diminish the utility of the general framework. To readers interested in linking past political history with the present, I strongly recommend this book together with Fukuyama's Political Order and Political Decay. As for books with the word ”capitalism” in the title, just leave them on the shelf.