Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History: Democratisation and tax farming in an agrarian economy
14/03/2023 (Seminars)
Bank of Greece, DIESOI
The Historical Archives of the Bank of Greece, in the context of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History, jointly organised with the Athens University of Economics and Business and Panteion University, invite you to the lecture entitled:
Democratisation and tax farming in an agrarian economy
Speaker: Vassilis Sarantides (Athens University of Economics and Business)
A few words on the topic:
How do political institutions determine whether or not fiscal capacity is developed, and how can history "lock" an economy on an institutional path from which it is difficult to escape afterwards? The speaker will present the results of research carried out in collaboration with Pantelis Kammas (Athens University of Economics and Business). The presentation will focus on the remarkable political reform of 1864 in Greece that abolished the handwritten ballot paper, enabling all adult males to vote by casting a small lead ball into the ballot box. In an agrarian economy where the majority of the population was illiterate, this change transferred considerable political power to the electorate. Utilising data on district-level tax revenues in Greece during the period 1853-1879, the researchers show that the new electoral law led to a reduction in the collection of tax revenues associated with agricultural production. In addition, they test the hypothesis that this trend is related to an increase in the political power of farmers due to the reform of 1864. More specifically, it is examined whether the local elites, who collected the taxes on behalf of the central government, used the tax collection mechanism to maintain their influence on the voters of the farmer class within a system of political patronage.
The sessions are held at the Museum of the Bank of Greece, at 3, Amerikis Street, Athens, and are open to the public, without requiring prior registration. The seminar will be conducted in Greek, unless otherwise indicated.
The complete programme of upcoming lectures is available on the website of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History.
Relative links: Poster of the event