Tax extraction is often low in absolutist regimes. Why are absolutists unable to convert
power into revenue? Supported by evidence from Imperial China, we explain this puzzle …

Why did the countries that first benefited from access to the New World–Castile and Portugal–
decline relative to their followers, especially England and the Netherlands? The dominant …

This series proposes a new geography of Global History research using Asian and Western
sources, welcoming quality research and engaging outstanding scholarship from China …

The idea that states seek to maximise their revenue collection has occupied a significant
place in contemporary political economy analysis of taxation, and has helped us understand …

This article questions the drivers behind the distribution of savings in different capital
markets in Portugal between 1550 and 1800. A novel dataset of credit transactions, interest …

Taxation is accepted as a fact of modern life, despite recurring political conflict over the
nature and direction of fiscal policies. Most financiers regard obligations issued by the state …

This paper studies the practice of Müsadere in the Ottoman Empire. Müsadere refers to the
expropriation of elites—often tax farmers or administrators—by the Sultan. This practice is …

This thesis examines the practice of confiscation in the Ottoman Empire during the long-
eighteenth century. It investigates what enabled, guided and motivated the sovereign to …

Tax extraction in Qing China was low relative to Western Europe. It is not obvious why:
China was much more absolutist and had stronger rights over property and people. Why did …

Several explanations have been given to account for the fact that, in contrast to the claim
made by North and Weingast (1989), the decline in interest rates on British sovereign debt …