Violence and social orders

The book provides a conceptual framework for understanding human history through the lens of social orders.

It identifies three types of social orders: foraging order, limited access order (natural state), and open access order.

The authors explain how these orders manage violence and shape economic and political development.

The natural state limits violence by creating privileged interests, while open access societies foster political and economic competition through impersonal rules and institutions.

The book also discusses the transition from natural states to open access societies and how this transition impacts social, economic, and political development.