Decentralization, Fiscal Structure, and Local State Capacity in Late-Imperial Russia

Steven Nafziger ()
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Steven Nafziger: Williams College

A chapter in Economic History of Warfare and State Formation, 2016, pp 73-101 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Investments in the fiscal, legal, and infrastructural “capacity” of the state have come to be seen as key determinants of economic development. Central authorities may make these investments, but local public sector institutions also play a role in building state capacity. This chapter examines the interaction between central and local capacity in the context of Tsarist Russia after the end of serfdom. We describe the structure of local government and, drawing on a variety of new sources, provide preliminary evidence on the extent of capacity building by various public sector actors. Our findings are suggestive of a particularly rich interaction between central authorities and decentralized institutions at the local level when it comes to providing public goods and services. We argue that interpretations of early modern and modern state building are remiss if they focus exclusively on the central government without considering the importance of locally determined efforts.

Keywords: Mark Harrison; Imperial Russia; Tsar/Tsarist; Mark Dincecco; Paul Gregory; Ministry of Internal Affairs; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of the Interior; Peter Lindert; Steven Nafziger; Zemstvo; Mirskie sbory; Mirskie kapitaly; A.P. Fedorov; Nikolai Gogol; Daron Acemoglu (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:stechp:978-981-10-1605-9_3

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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-10-1605-9_3

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