Description
Book SynopsisWhy would sovereigns ever grant political or economic liberty to their subjects? Under what conditions would rational rulers who possess ultimate authority and who seek to maximize power and wealth ever give up any of that authority? This book answers these questions, investigating both why sovereign powers might liberalize and when.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of Contributors1The Origins of Liberty32Limited Government and Liberal Markets: An Introduction to "Constitutions and Commitment"133Constitutions and Commitment: The Evolution of Institutions Governing Public Choice in Seventeenth-Century England164Democracy, Capital, Skill, and Country Size: Effects of Asset Mobility and Regime Monopoly on the Odds of Democratic Rule485The International Causes of Democratization, 1974-1990706The Political Economy of Authoritarian Withdrawals927When You Wish upon the Stars: Why the Generals (and Admirals) Say Yes to Latin American "Transitions" to Civilian Government1158Political Structure and Economic Liberalization: Conditions and Cases from the Developing World1469Afterword179References181Index201
