State Capacity and Subjective Well-Being in Early Modern Spain

Carlos Álvarez Nogal and Leandro Prados de la Escosura

IFCS - Working Papers in Economic History.WH from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Figuerola

Abstract: In early modern Spain, state capacity has been regarded as weak in the historical literature.In this paper, we assess the Spanish Monarchy's ability to implement its policies through anoutput measure rather than an input-specifically, the distribution of the Bull of theCrusade. Furthermore, we explore how shifts in state capacity influenced subjective wellbeing.In a religious society like early modern Spain, spiritual satisfaction functions as ameasure of subjective well-being. It was achieved by reducing the perceived time spent inPurgatory after death to atone for sins committed during life, which could be done bypurchasing indulgences. Consuming the Bull of the Crusade, an affordable form ofalmsgiving, granted a plenary indulgence and, therefore, eliminated the need for penance inthe afterlife for all sins committed prior to its purchase. Obtaining the bull reduced deathanxiety and increased life satisfaction. Our measure of subjective well-being-thelogarithmic ratio of bulls sold to the population, both normalised-indicates whetherspiritual satisfaction was attained. Subjective well-being declined in the late 1570s and1580s during years of severe financial crisis, in the 1640s during the Catalan Revolt, andcollapsed during Spain's War of Succession (1701-14) and its aftermath. Reductions in statecapacity coincided with decreases in spiritual satisfaction, while demand for bulls remainedrelatively stable over time. Declines in state capacity appear to be the primary factor behindthese decreases in spiritual satisfaction and, consequently, lower subjective well-being.

Keywords: State; capacity; Subjective; well-being; Spiritual; satisfaction; Early; modern; Spain; Bulls (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E70 H27 I31 N33 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-11-24
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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Working Paper: State Capacity and Subjective Well-Being in Early Modern Spain (2025)
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