Urban Political Structure and Inequality: Political Economy Lessons from Early Modern German Cities

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: European University Institute; European University Institute
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050724000135
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: -
• 关键词: returns; Europe; times

摘要

What was the impact of urban political structure on preindustrial wealth inequality? I document that more closed political institutions were associated with higher inequality in a panel of early-modern German cities. To investigate the mechanisms behind that macro-relationship, I construct a unique individual-level panel dataset on personal wealth and political office-holding in the city-state of Nordlingen (1579-1700). I employ a difference-in-differences setting to show that political elites enriched themselves substantially, increasing inequality. To address endogeneity concerns, I exploit the Thirty-Years' War as a shock to elites' potential for enrichment from public office. Officials manipulated this crisis to enrich themselves further.