Agricultural revolution, political development, and long-run economic growth

This paper argues that the more a ruling elite is dependent upon a small minority for the resources necessary to politically survive, the more likely it is to be predatory. Alternatively, the broader the group upon which the ruling elite depends for political survival, the less likely the elite will be predatory, and this is what is meant by political development. Thus, political development is necessary for long-run economic development and political development is more likely to evolve in the context of broad-based agricultural (rural) development. The experiences of Japan and Taiwan are used to illustrate these ideas.