The State Is a Transition From Random Crime to Organized Crime

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The state is a powerful elite that could tax the masses and take care of its own good. The better view of a state is a, as a monster also published in his 93 book article is just a roving band it's turning stationary. A state is a transition from random crime to organized crime. That doesn't mean that this is bad for the subject because you should compare it to having a mafia organization control your life. It was a win-win transition to some extent but this is debatable.

Since at least Adam Smith, the common wisdom has been that the transition from hunter-gathering to farming allowed the creation of the State. Farming, so went the theory, led to agricultural surplus, and that surplus is the prerequisite for taxation and a State. But economist Omer Moav of the University of Warwick and Reichman University argues that it wasn't farming but the farming of a particular kind of crop (but not others) that led to hierarchy and the State. Moav explains to EconTalk host Russ Roberts storability is the key dimension that allows for taxation and a State. The conversation includes a discussion of why it's important to understand the past and the challenges of confirming or refuting theories about history.