The Price of Legal Institutions: TheBeratlıMerchants in the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire
研究了18世纪奥斯曼帝国欧洲使馆出售的贝拉特豁免许可证的价格及其对贸易的影响，发现价格高昂且因国别而异，持有者通过策略性切换法院获取法律优势，最终排挤了其他贸易群体。
In the eighteenth century, European embassies in the Ottoman Empire started selling exemption licenses called berats , which granted non-Muslim Ottomans tax exemptions and the option to use European law. I construct a novel price panel for British and French licenses based on primary sources. The evidence reveals that prices were significantly high and varied across countries. Agents acquired multiple berats to enhance their legal options, which they exploited through strategic court switching. By the early 1800s, berat holders had driven other groups from European-Ottoman trade.