Limited Government: A Reappraisal of the French and English Old Regimes through Parliamentary Activities
45 Pages Posted: 17 Dec 2019 Last revised: 30 Jan 2024
Date Written: November 23, 2019
Abstract
The French executive had to deal with local Parliaments examining its legislation before registration. The comparison of the Acts recorded by the Parliaments of Toulouse and Westminster between 1689 and 1779 shows that from an initial similarity, the state gradually played a more active role in shaping economic life in England. State constraints appeared stricter in Paris than in London as, in the event of war, the French executive remained unable to register more fiscal Acts nor increase its revenues while the opposite is observed in England. Our findings suggest a more limited effective state in France compared to England during this period.
Keywords: Parliament, limited government, constraint on the executive, taxation, economic take-off, Old Regime, property rights
JEL Classification: N13, N23, O10, P14, P16
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation