Anatomy of a premodern state
本文提出衡量前现代国家能力的新方法，通过分析收入构成、支出模式和地方预算来评估国家能力。以葡萄牙（1367-1844年）为例，发现其大部分时期保持较高财政和法律能力，挑战了18世纪下半叶经济衰退源于低国家能力的观点。
Abstract We provide a blueprint for constructing measures of state capacity in premodern states, offering several advantages over the current state of the art. We argue that assessing changing state capacity requires considering the composition of revenues, expenditure patterns, and local-level budgets. As an application, we examine the case of Portugal (1367–1844). Our findings demonstrate that throughout most of this extended period, Portugal maintained comparatively high fiscal and legal capacities. This challenges claims that Portugal’s economic decline from the second half of the eighteenth century was due to low state capacity.