Peter J. Boettke & Rosolino Candela: Productive specialization, peaceful cooperation and the problem of the predatory state: lessons from comparative historical political economy

The paper reconceptualizes and unbundles the relationship between public predation, state capacity and economic development. By reframing our understanding of state capacity theory from a constitutional perspective, Boettke & Candela argue that to the extent that a causal relationship exists between state capacity and economic development, the relationship is proximate rather than fundamental.

The full paper is available here.