New Books in East Asian Studies Taisu Zhang, “The Laws and Economics of Confucianism: Kinship Property in Preindustrial China and England” (Cambridge UP, 2017)
Feb 27, 2018
Taisu Zhang, an associate professor at Yale Law School and author of 'The Laws and Economics of Confucianism,' delves into the contrasting paths of economic development in preindustrial China and England. He explores how Confucian kinship hierarchies shaped land ownership in China, enabling political empowerment for lower-income households, while England's wealth-driven status reinforced elite dominance. Zhang also examines the effects of differing taxation systems and cultural norms on economic behavior and historical institutional dynamics.
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Institutions Rooted In Culture
- Zhang frames institutional differences as products of deeper social and cultural origins rather than mere accidents.
- He links law to macroeconomic outcomes through a cultural-institutional bridge to explain divergence.
Comparing Functionally Similar Eras
- Zhang compares late Qing China (post-1865) to early modern England to achieve functional economic similarity for analysis.
- He chose periods where both societies had privatized, market-based agrarian economies on the cusp of industrialization.
Land Deals Were Contractual
- Zhang describes Chinese land transactions as contractual, brokered, and legally enforceable, much like early modern England.
- Buyers used sales, mortgages, or rent as standard options, with mortgages and contracts central to liquidity choices.