The Monopoly over Violence in a Late Modernizer: Evidence from Imperial China
This study analyzes how the state may establish or lose a monopoly over violence in the context of late modernizers, taking imperial China as a laboratory. We construct new micro-level data that span several hundred years. We show evidence that, traditionally, there was greater state development – at the expense of private security provision via the clan – in response to mass rebellion, because the cost of public security was relatively low. After 1850, however, there was a dramatic increase in this cost due to China’s military loss to the West. In turn, we find evidence for greater private security provision – now at the expense of public provision – in response to internal conflict. This change reduced the imperial state’s monopoly over violence and eventually promoted state failure. Our study provides a new perspective on the long-run political dynamics of the Great Divergence.

Please sign up for meetings below:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hthKrdm0OLsw2m9UCZ5WQH1vNV-BJ14hj5eVPlp8Cy0/edit#gid=0
Date: 5 March 2019, 17:00 (Tuesday, 8th week, Hilary 2019)
Venue: Nuffield College, New Road OX1 1NF
Venue Details: Large Lecture Room
Speaker: Mark Dincecco (University Of Michigan)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Part of: Economic and Social History Seminar
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Melis Clark