Sheilagh Ogilvie je profesorkou hospodářských dějin na Univerzitě v Cambridge a členkou Britské akademie. Její práce se zaměřuje na dlouhodobý vývoj institucí a jejich vliv na ekonomický růst, přičemž zkoumá, jak se společnosti vyvíjely v průběhu staletí. Díky svému hlubokému porozumění historickým procesům poskytuje cenné vhledy do složitých ekonomických jevů.
The book offers an in-depth exploration of commercial institutions, focusing on the evolution and significance of merchant guilds throughout history. It examines how these guilds shaped trade practices, economic structures, and social interactions, providing a comprehensive understanding of their impact on the development of commerce. Through meticulous research, the author presents a narrative that highlights the complexities and legacies of these influential organizations in the context of economic history.
Epidemics and Institutions from the Black Death to Covid
480 stránek
17 hodin čtení
In examining the impact of infectious diseases throughout history, the book explores how societies respond to the challenges posed by epidemics. It identifies three critical societal challenges: caring for victims, recovering from economic devastation, and the effects on institutions themselves. Through an analysis of eight centuries of epidemics across various regions, the author highlights the roles of six key social institutions—market, state, community, religion, guild, and family—in managing the costs of contagion. A multifaceted institutional approach is presented as essential for effectively addressing these challenges.
A comprehensive analysis of European craft guilds through eight centuries of economic history Guilds ruled many crafts and trades from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, and have always attracted debate and controversy. They were sometimes viewed as efficient institutions that guaranteed quality and skills. But they also excluded competitors, manipulated markets, and blocked innovations. Did the benefits of guilds outweigh their costs? Analyzing thousands of guilds that dominated European economies from 1000 to 1880, The European Guilds uses vivid examples and clear economic reasoning to answer that question. Sheilagh Ogilvie's book features the voices of honorable guild masters, underpaid journeymen, exploited apprentices, shady officials, and outraged customers, and follows the stories of the "vile encroachers"--women, migrants, Jews, gypsies, bastards, and many others--desperate to work but hunted down by the guilds as illicit competitors. She investigates the benefits of guilds but also shines a light on their dark side. Guilds sometimes provided important services, but they also manipulated markets to profit their members. They regulated quality but prevented poor consumers from buying goods cheaply. They fostered work skills but denied apprenticeships to outsiders. They transmitted useful techniques but blocked innovations that posed a threat. Guilds existed widely not because they corrected market failures or served the common good but because they benefited two powerful groups--guild members and political elites. Exploring guilds' inner workings across eight centuries, The European Guilds shows how privileged institutions and exclusive networks shape the wider economy--for good or ill.
