Abstract: This note evaluates the claim of Steven Pinker in The Better Angels of Our Nature that the advent of strong states led to a decline in violence. I test this claim in the modern context, measuring the effect of the strength of government in lower-income countries on reductions in homicide rates. The strength of government is measured using Polity IV, Worldwide Governance Indicators, and government consumption as a percentage of GDP. The data do not support Pinker’s hypothesis.

Keywords: homicide, political institutions, Steven Pinker

JEL Codes: D74, H11

Download Paper: “Are Strong States Key to Reducing Violence? A Test of Pinker”

Abstract: A growing literature has explored the workability and efficacy of governance without the state. The difficulties typically raised in the context of these studies concern under which conditions cooperation or Hobbesian chaos would arise in the absence of a monopolist of coercion. This paper challenges the idea of the stateless society from another vantage point, arguing the institutions articulated by proponents of the stateless society would struggle at reconciling heterogeneous views regarding the rights of third parties. This is relevant for many of the most contentious policy debates, such as abortion and animal rights.

Keywords: Anarcho-capitalism, taboo tradeoffs, repugnancy costs

JEL Codes: D74, H11

Download Paper: “Heterogeneous Moral Views in the Stateless Society”