LECTURE 5-6: THE CLAN AND THE CITY

Question 1

Between the 9th and 14th

Answer 1

institutional bifurcation of Europe and china

Question 2

europe:

Answer 2

societies organised around cities, voluntary association of unrelated individuals who pursued their own interests. formal laws and institutions

Question 3

china:

Answer 3

societies organised around clans. Kin based households with common ancestor. informal institutions to sustain cooperation

Question 4

Social orgs emerge as result of process of matching of

Answer 4

-heterogenous identity (beliefs, culture)
-set of moral principles possessed
-available forms of societies

Question 5

Constitutions are self-enforcing mechanisms that force the Crown to be checked by the Parliament when making fiscal decisions.

Question 6

Han Dynasty

Answer 6

• unification of large part of China
• confucianism at basis of social order
• no central government interference in clan org

Question 7

how do clans emerge

Answer 7

ancestor decides to establish a clan and a founder opens a new branch of an already existing-clan

Question 8

Europe history

Answer 8

after fall of Roman Empire, phase of political disorder and destabilisation, cultural and economic fragmentation

Question 9

feudalism

Answer 9

extrapolate tax from conquered territories to be redistributed between knights who became feudal lords. lords have the right to decide who and how will live in the manor in exchange for protection. provides security for large part of pop, limited distribution of labor, large production of goods and low productivity

Question 10

merchant revolution

Answer 10

11th phase of change, pop growth, local growth of urban center, new big cities diffuse. cities are built around a new class oriented towards the exploitation of trade routes: merchants.

Question 11

types of morality

Answer 11

• limited: benefit because good is enjoyed by kins, clannish types, strong but limited
• generalised: individual benefit only, citizen types, weak but generalised.

Question 12

how do individuals select the type of society

Answer 12

their aggregate choices determines the predominant social org which shapes future values and institutions
- clan: kinship based community, cooperation through unformalised moral obligations, economises on enforcement costs
- city: members of many lineages, formal enforcement crucial, economises on dimension, sustain cooperation on large scale
observe type, size and distribution of types in society and then they build city or clan

Question 13

role of religion

Answer 13

• Confucianism: devotion to ancestor and kin at basis of social order
• christianity

Question 14

migration

Answer 14

large migration flows created mechanisms like re-elaboration of set of moral values in society, move where state is weak and density is low to establish order they prefer

Question 15

2 main components of choosing culture

Answer 15

• given, unchoosable set of values derived from social context in which you are born
• values transmitted via society

Question 16

case of Genoa
- trade and possessions
- problems
- initial org: growth and instability
- if rent decreases
- podesteria: credible commitment, reward scheme, collective action problem

Answer 16

strong enough to defend city but not enough to overthrow factions
by threat of assisting another faction he deterred faction from taking over, inability of each faction to reward podesta who cooperated in destruction of another one to reward podesta
collective action problem: decisions made by council of citizens