The Political Economy of Conflict and Appropriation

Download or read book The Political Economy of Conflict and Appropriation written by Michelle R. Garfinkel and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1996-06-13 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traditional economic analysis has concentrated on production and trading as the only means by which individual agents can increase their welfare. But both the history of industrialized countries and the current experience of many developing and transition economies suggest a major alternative: the appropriation of what others have produced through coercion, rent seeking, or influence peddling. Appropriation was how nobles, bandits, and kings used to make a living. The same is true nowadays for mafia bosses, army generals, lobbyists, and corrupt officials.