Violence and social orders : a conceptual framework for interpreting recorded human history / / Douglass C. North, John Joseph Wallis, Barry R. Weingast

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910822432403321
• Autore: North Douglass Cecil
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , [2009]
• ISBN: 1-107-19376-1; 1-107-38547-4; 1-107-64699-5; 1-282-10378-4; 9786612103780; 0-511-57583-1; 0-511-51529-4; 0-511-51783-1; 0-511-51429-8; 0-511-51657-6
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (xvii, 308 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
• Disciplina: 306.301
• Soggetti: Violence - Economic aspects - History; State, The - History; Social control - History
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-294) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: The conceptual framework -- The natural state -- The natural state applied : English land law -- Open access orders -- The transition from limited to open access orders : the doorstep conditions -- The transition proper -- A new research agenda for the social sciences.
• Sommario/riassunto: 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.