The Control Of Land Rent In The Fortified Farming Town

QED Working Paper Number
1096

We consider costly administration at the center of a farming community surrounding a fortified village. Land rent taxation is high cost mode of financing central administration in a tax incidence sense. Participatory administration by the governed is a lower cost alternative. We speculate why the low cost option has been out-competed by its higher cost alternative throughout history. We also take up constraints on predation on farmers by a landlord at the center.

Author(s)

JEL Codes

Keywords

administrative structure
public goods
welfare cost

Working Paper

Download [PDF] (245.02 KB)