The Rise of Effective States in Europe
这篇综述文章研究欧洲历史上国家能力（即国家的汲取和生产能力）的发展，聚焦政治创新的作用，并探讨国家能力提升与长期经济增长及20世纪福利国家建立的关系，最后为当今发展中国家提供历史启示。
This review article examines the development of state capacity—the extractive and productive power of states— in European history. To explain the historical evolution of state capacity, I focus on the role of political innovations. I relate state capacity improvements to long-run economic growth and the establishment of twentieth-century welfare states. The article concludes with historical lessons for developing nations today. “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” James Madison (1788, p. 257)