Dynasties in Historical Political Economy

The Oxford Handbook of Historical Political Economy, Forthcoming

26 Pages Posted: 12 Oct 2022

See all articles by Brenda Van Coppenolle

Brenda Van Coppenolle

University of Essex - Department of Government

Daniel M. Smith

University of Pennsylvania

Date Written: May 11, 2022

Abstract

The hereditary transfer of political power within families is a prominent feature of premodern societies, and persists in some form even in modern democracies. This chapter reviews the role of dynasties in the historical development of states, and how patterns in dynastic politics serve as a useful metric for understanding the evolution of power and state organization in historical political economy research. We identify and describe three broad declines in the role of dynasties in politics: (1) a decline of monarchy in favor of democracy and other forms of government; (2) a decline in the prevalence of elected members of dynasties in democracies; and (3) a decline in the gendered differences in reliance on dynastic ties for entry into politics. Despite these general declines, dynastic ties remain advantageous to politicians’ careers in many countries, especially when it comes to reaching the top echelons of power in the executive.

Keywords: dynasties, monarchy, hereditary succession, power, political elites

JEL Classification: D72, D74, H11, N40

Suggested Citation

Van Coppenolle, Brenda and Smith, Daniel M., Dynasties in Historical Political Economy (May 11, 2022). The Oxford Handbook of Historical Political Economy, Forthcoming , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4227418

Brenda Van Coppenolle

University of Essex - Department of Government ( email )

Wivenhoe Park
Colchester CO4 3SQ, CO4 3SQ
United Kingdom

Daniel M. Smith (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

133 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/danielmarkhamsmith

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