A Origem do Estado: Expropriação e Transparência da Atividade Econômica

Interessante artigo que argumenta que a origem do estado está relacionada ao surgimento da agricultura, que torna a atividade econômica mais visível (e expropriável). Embora este argumento não seja novo, vale a pena ler o artigo pela boa mistura de teoria e história econômica.

"We propose a general theory that explains the extent of the state and accounts for related institutions as byproducts of the state’s extractive capacity. We posit further that this capacity is determined by the transparency of the production technology. First, we apply our proposed theory in identifying the link between the Neolithic Revolution and the emergence of the state. We argue that the common explanation that emphasizes the availability of food surplus is flawed, for it ignores Malthusian considerations. In contrast, we suggest that what led to the emergence of the state was the greater transparency of farming. Second, we show that variations across regions in the transparency of the production processes can explain differences in institutions, such as land tenure, and in the scale of the state. We then apply our theory to explain the institutional features that distinguished ancient Egypt from ancient Mesopotamia."