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Cambridge Studies in Economic History - Second Series
The Lion's Share: Inequality and the Rise of the Fiscal State in Preindustrial Europe
This is the most in-depth analysis of inequality and social polarization ever attempted for a preindustrial society. Using data from the archives of the Venetian Terraferma, and compared with information available for elsewhere in Europe, Guido Alfani and Matteo Di Tullio demonstrate that the rise of the fiscal-military state served to increase economic inequality in the early modern period. Preindustrial fiscal systems tended to be regressive in nature, and increased post-tax inequality compared to pre-tax - in contrast to what we would assume is the case in contemporary societies. This led to greater and greater disparities in wealth, which were made worse still as taxes were collected almost entirely to fund war and defence rather than social welfare. Though focused on Old Regime Europe, Alfani and Di Tullio's findings speak to contemporary debates about the roots of inequality and social stratification.
244 pages, Hardcover
Published March 28, 2019
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About the author
Guido Alfani
10 books14 followersGuido Alfani is Professor of Economic History at Bocconi University, Milan (Italy). He is also an Affiliated Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality (New York), a Research Associate at the CAGE Research Centre (Warwick) and a Research Fellow of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR, London).
An economic and social historian and a historical demographer, he published extensively on Italy and Europe (and beyond), specialising in economic inequality and social mobility, in the history of epidemics and famines, in social alliance systems and social networks.
His most recent book, As Gods among Men. A History of the Rich in the West (Princeton University Press, 2023) is an ambitious attempt at providing a general history of the rich and the super-rich, and of how they obtained their wealth, from Antiquity until today.
His previous book, The Lion’s Share. Inequality and the Rise of the Fiscal State in Preindustrial Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2019), with Matteo Di Tullio, explores how preindustrial fiscal systems favoured a continuous increase in economic inequality, because they were designed by the elites, for the advantage of the elites.
Previous books by Alfani focused on the economic and social consequences of major catastrophes. The book Calamities and the Economy in Renaissance Italy (Palgrave 2013) discusses the impact of war, plague and famine in the different pre-unification Italian states during 1494-1629 - what Alfani dubs the "long sixteenth century". The book Famine in European History, a collection of essays which Alfani edited together with Cormac Ó Gráda, focused on major crises triggered by a scarcity of food (and/or of access to food). The book Pandemie d'Italia ("Italian Pandemics", Egea 2010, available in Italian edition only), which Alfani co-authored with Alessia Melegaro, covers the consequences of plagues (from the Black Death of the fourteenth century to the last plague epidemics affecting Italy in the early eighteenth century), of cholera pandemics, of the Spanish Flu and of other major influenza pandemics, of pandemics of sexually-transmitted infections such as syphilis and HIV, and closes with a discussion of recent pandemic threats, up to the "Swine Flu" influenza pandemic of 2009-10.
Alfani also published extensively in social history, particularly on the history of godparenthood and the spiritual kinship ties that it generated. To this topic he dedicated his first book, Fathers and Godfathers. Spiritual Kinship in Early-Modern Italy (Routledge 2009).
An economic and social historian and a historical demographer, he published extensively on Italy and Europe (and beyond), specialising in economic inequality and social mobility, in the history of epidemics and famines, in social alliance systems and social networks.
His most recent book, As Gods among Men. A History of the Rich in the West (Princeton University Press, 2023) is an ambitious attempt at providing a general history of the rich and the super-rich, and of how they obtained their wealth, from Antiquity until today.
His previous book, The Lion’s Share. Inequality and the Rise of the Fiscal State in Preindustrial Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2019), with Matteo Di Tullio, explores how preindustrial fiscal systems favoured a continuous increase in economic inequality, because they were designed by the elites, for the advantage of the elites.
Previous books by Alfani focused on the economic and social consequences of major catastrophes. The book Calamities and the Economy in Renaissance Italy (Palgrave 2013) discusses the impact of war, plague and famine in the different pre-unification Italian states during 1494-1629 - what Alfani dubs the "long sixteenth century". The book Famine in European History, a collection of essays which Alfani edited together with Cormac Ó Gráda, focused on major crises triggered by a scarcity of food (and/or of access to food). The book Pandemie d'Italia ("Italian Pandemics", Egea 2010, available in Italian edition only), which Alfani co-authored with Alessia Melegaro, covers the consequences of plagues (from the Black Death of the fourteenth century to the last plague epidemics affecting Italy in the early eighteenth century), of cholera pandemics, of the Spanish Flu and of other major influenza pandemics, of pandemics of sexually-transmitted infections such as syphilis and HIV, and closes with a discussion of recent pandemic threats, up to the "Swine Flu" influenza pandemic of 2009-10.
Alfani also published extensively in social history, particularly on the history of godparenthood and the spiritual kinship ties that it generated. To this topic he dedicated his first book, Fathers and Godfathers. Spiritual Kinship in Early-Modern Italy (Routledge 2009).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 20, 2020
The Lion’s Share es una reconstrucción de los niveles de desigualdad de riqueza en la República de Venecia entre 1500 y 1800. Es una aportación importante a la literatura sobre desigualdad al ser la reconstrucción más completa de dichos niveles en una sociedad preindustrial.
La importancia del libro no solo esta en su parte metodológica y las estimaciones, lo que es quizá su aportación más importante es la evaluación que hace de los distintos mecanismos que impulsaron la tendencia creciente de la desigualdad durante ese periodo.
Alfani y Di Tullio encuentran que fue el surgimiento del estado fiscal, con el propósito de financiar las guerras y la defensa de la República de Venecia uno de los componentes más importantes que impulsaron la tendencia ascendente de la desigualdad. Ya que los impuestos eran extremadamente regresivos tanto en su recaudación y luego en el gasto público, por ejemplo financiando la deuda para pagar las guerras en lo que es un ejemplo del llamado “efecto de transferencia”, generaron una dinámica de acumulación de riqueza en los estratos altos de la sociedad veneciana.
Adicional a este aporte, los autores logran mostrar como este mecanismo aplica para casi toda la Europa en ese periodo y como además de la proletarización y los cambios demográficos en las ciudades, fueron factores institucionales como la política fiscal con el surgimiento del estado fiscal lo que impulso esta dinámica.
Es un libro sumamente importante, producto del proyecto EINITE, que nos muestra lo mejor de la historia económica, un riguroso tratamiento de la historia, de las fuentes primarias y con lecciones y discusiones relevantes en nuestro presente. Sobre como la desigualdad es políticamente construida y sobre como el entendimiento que tenemos de la justicia impacta en como las sociedades permiten o no que la desigualdad alcance altos niveles o sea contenida.
Una lectura sumamente recomendada.
La importancia del libro no solo esta en su parte metodológica y las estimaciones, lo que es quizá su aportación más importante es la evaluación que hace de los distintos mecanismos que impulsaron la tendencia creciente de la desigualdad durante ese periodo.
Alfani y Di Tullio encuentran que fue el surgimiento del estado fiscal, con el propósito de financiar las guerras y la defensa de la República de Venecia uno de los componentes más importantes que impulsaron la tendencia ascendente de la desigualdad. Ya que los impuestos eran extremadamente regresivos tanto en su recaudación y luego en el gasto público, por ejemplo financiando la deuda para pagar las guerras en lo que es un ejemplo del llamado “efecto de transferencia”, generaron una dinámica de acumulación de riqueza en los estratos altos de la sociedad veneciana.
Adicional a este aporte, los autores logran mostrar como este mecanismo aplica para casi toda la Europa en ese periodo y como además de la proletarización y los cambios demográficos en las ciudades, fueron factores institucionales como la política fiscal con el surgimiento del estado fiscal lo que impulso esta dinámica.
Es un libro sumamente importante, producto del proyecto EINITE, que nos muestra lo mejor de la historia económica, un riguroso tratamiento de la historia, de las fuentes primarias y con lecciones y discusiones relevantes en nuestro presente. Sobre como la desigualdad es políticamente construida y sobre como el entendimiento que tenemos de la justicia impacta en como las sociedades permiten o no que la desigualdad alcance altos niveles o sea contenida.
Una lectura sumamente recomendada.
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