I really like this essay, and it is rare to find something in my own field of research in which I can’t find nits to pick.
However... do you have a reference to that “taxation creates surplus” argument? I have seen that a few times and, frankly, it is bonkers. No one ever seems to cite it, however, and it really deserves a good tear down.
Joram Mayshar, Omer Moav, Zvika Neeman, ‘Geography, Transparency, and Institutions,’ American Political Science Review, June 2017, 111, 3. 622-636.
Joram Mayshar, Omer Moav, Luigi Pascali, ‘The Origin of the State: Land Productivity or Appropriability?,’ Journal of Political Economy, April 2022, 130, 1091-1144.
James C. Scott, Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, Yale University Press, 2017.
Thank you sir! I am a little surprised to see Scott's name there. I will have to dig up those three, because I can only assume I am misunderstanding the argument.
Wow... ok reading "The Origin of the State: Land Productivity or Appropriability?' I see that I am not in fact misinterpreting their argument, but rather it is just that badly thought out. Looks like I have some writing to do.
Unfortunately my paper with Caplan on how black markets work remarkably well despite the state actively repudiating the property rights of buyers and sellers, and so the notion that states enforcing property rights is necessary for markets to function is clearly wrong, never found a publisher. At least not before I burned out on academia and stopped trying. (That fun time was the source of "You didn't cite X paper; why not? This discussion is not complete with out it," when in fact the paper had no real bearing on what we wrote. I can only assume the reviewer was the author of said paper, since apparently on the author's mom had ever read it otherwise.)
Looking forward to it! I am kind of amazed at how much economics is a creature of the state, insofar as there are just so many assertions of how much the state is needed for this and that, how this is impossible without the state, etc. that completely ignore the sometimes obvious empirical reality that, not, turns out it works whether the state likes it or not.
Yes sir. If I get really ambitious (and suddenly have more time) I might write up a proper article as well and submit it. That's a pretty big "if" however :D Not like there are tenure proceedings in my future
I really like this essay, and it is rare to find something in my own field of research in which I can’t find nits to pick.
However... do you have a reference to that “taxation creates surplus” argument? I have seen that a few times and, frankly, it is bonkers. No one ever seems to cite it, however, and it really deserves a good tear down.
Tax creates surplus references:
Joram Mayshar, Omer Moav, Zvika Neeman, ‘Geography, Transparency, and Institutions,’ American Political Science Review, June 2017, 111, 3. 622-636.
Joram Mayshar, Omer Moav, Luigi Pascali, ‘The Origin of the State: Land Productivity or Appropriability?,’ Journal of Political Economy, April 2022, 130, 1091-1144.
James C. Scott, Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, Yale University Press, 2017.
Thank you sir! I am a little surprised to see Scott's name there. I will have to dig up those three, because I can only assume I am misunderstanding the argument.
Wow... ok reading "The Origin of the State: Land Productivity or Appropriability?' I see that I am not in fact misinterpreting their argument, but rather it is just that badly thought out. Looks like I have some writing to do.
Also you didn’t cite Foldvary and Hammer, so I am afraid I can’t recommend this for publication. Peer review for the win! :D
Link?
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3191371
That SSRN link doesn't want to open for me. Not sure why.
Edit: Never mind! It was just taking it's sweet time. Apparently the packets were being transported by carrier pigeon or something.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160791X15300580
Unfortunately my paper with Caplan on how black markets work remarkably well despite the state actively repudiating the property rights of buyers and sellers, and so the notion that states enforcing property rights is necessary for markets to function is clearly wrong, never found a publisher. At least not before I burned out on academia and stopped trying. (That fun time was the source of "You didn't cite X paper; why not? This discussion is not complete with out it," when in fact the paper had no real bearing on what we wrote. I can only assume the reviewer was the author of said paper, since apparently on the author's mom had ever read it otherwise.)
I have a long essay on why property does not require law. Some of it needs rewriting but I will publish it here at some stage, probably in four parts.
Looking forward to it! I am kind of amazed at how much economics is a creature of the state, insofar as there are just so many assertions of how much the state is needed for this and that, how this is impossible without the state, etc. that completely ignore the sometimes obvious empirical reality that, not, turns out it works whether the state likes it or not.
Yes sir. If I get really ambitious (and suddenly have more time) I might write up a proper article as well and submit it. That's a pretty big "if" however :D Not like there are tenure proceedings in my future
Brilliant essay. "Institutional commons" is such a useful concept.
Ta. I hope to develop the concept further in the next essay.
The State, like The Laws, are simply a group of people.
Our 🇺🇸 group of people have gone insane, or rather we’re elected by an insane or utterly delusional electorate, because they want $ from the rest.
(I don’t absolve the voters).
Perhaps people are overthinking this matter.
One reason I refer to the state apparat is to make it clear the state is people with power/authority, not a reified thing.