This book models the emergence of the state, and the forces that shape it.

Preface; 1. Introduction; Part I. The Emergence of Protection and Third-Party Enforcement: 2. The state and the enforcement of agreements; 3. Third-party enforcement and the state; 4. The choice among enforcement forms; 5. Anonymous exchange, mixed enforcement and vertical integration; 6. Jurisdictional issues; 7. Collective action and collective decisions; 8. Tying the protector's hand: the agreement between subjects and protector; Part II. The Emergence of Legal Institutions: 9. Legal rights; 10. The state's enhancement of market trade; 11. The size and scope of the state; Part III. The Character of the State: 12. Merger and local autonomy; 13. The distinction between 'legitimate' and 'criminal' states; 14. Power, violent conflict and political evolution; 15. The time path of change under dictatorships and under rule-of-law regimes; 16. Recapitulation and an epilogue; References; Index.