Governmental forms and economic development : from medieval to modern times / Edited by Maria Brouwer.

Includes bibliographical references.

Chapter 1: Evolution and Economic Development; 1.1 Stages of Evolution; 1.1.1 Prologue; 1.1.2 Two Strands in the Debate; 1.2 Economic Development; 1.2.1 Schumpeterś Development Theory; 1.2.2 The Strong State; 1.2.3 Historical Growth; 1.2.4 Development and Economic Theory; 1.2.5 Competition and Development; 1.3 Political Development and Decay; 1.3.1 Fukuyama on Political Development and Decline; 1.3.2 Huntington on Modernization; 1.3.3 Fukuyama on the End of History and American Hegemony; 1.3.4 Authoritarian Transition; 1.3.5 Enlightenment and Development; 1.3.6 Modernity and Absolute Rule1.4 Evolution and Violence; 1.4.1 The Case of China; 1.4.2 Good and Bad Roman Emperors; 1.5 Autocracy and Innovation; 1.5.1 Failing Bureaucracies; 1.5.2 Patrimonialism vs Meritocracy; 1.5.3 Competition; Good and Bad; 1.5.4 Economic Theory of Organizations; 1.6 Centralization and Decentralization; 1.6.1 Markets and Bureaucracies; 1.6.2 The Economic Growth Machine; 1.6.3 Revolution or Agreement; 1.7 Institutions and Development; 1.7.1 Justice and Legal Origins; 1.7.2 The Mirage of the Strong State; 1.7.3 Evolution and Institutional Development; 1.8 Conclusions. 2.5 Political and Economic Theory2.5.1 De Tocqueville and French Men of Letters; 2.5.2 Physiocrats; 2.5.3 Enlightenment and Liberty; 2.5.4 Natural Law and Economic Theory; 2.5.5 A Historical Perspective on Natural Law; 2.5.6 Schumpeter on Utilitarianism; 2.5.7 Neo-Classical Economics and Keynes; 2.5.8 Economic Theory and Discourse; 2.5.9 The State and Economic Knowledge; 2.6 Financial Markets and Economic Development; 2.7 Conclusions; References; Chapter 3: Citizens and Knights in the Low Countries and Italy; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 Occidental Feudalism; 3.2.1 Weber on Feudalism; 3.2.2 The Holy Roman Empire3.2.3 The Feudal System in the Low Countries; 3.2.4 Medieval Cities; 3.2.5 Feudal Organization; 3.3 City Rights in the Netherlands; 3.3.1 Cities Large and Small; 3.3.2 The Spread of City Rights; 3.4 Italian Cities; 3.4.1 Italian Cities Between Pope and Emperor; 3.4.2 Italian City Government; 3.4.3 Weber and Machiavelli on Italian City-States; 3.4.4 Decline of Italian City-States; 3.4.5 Autocratic City Government; 3.4.6 Renaissance and Individualism; 3.5 A Culture of Chivalry; 3.5.1 Tournaments; 3.5.2 Tournaments in Economic Theory.

This book investigates the performance of economic development under different forms of government, ranging from autocratic states to liberal democracies. Starting with a critical review of the literature on social and economic development, including the works of Frank Knight, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter and Peter Drucker, it offers a historical analysis of the expansion of markets, cities and trade in medieval Europe, and the monopolization of trade by the emerging European nation states. The book also presents a case study on the rise and decline of the Dutch Republic, discusses topics such as the disadvantages of the central direction of economic organizations, and federal decentralization as a model for promoting growth and investment, and illustrates how successful companies like Semco and Google are building on centuries-old management principles.