Public Choice Analyses of American Economic History (eBook)

Joshua C. Hall is an associate professor of economics at West Virginia University and Director of the Center for Free Enterprise within the College of Business and Economics. He earned his bachelor and master degrees in economics from Ohio University and his Ph.D. from West Virginia University in 2007. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he was the Elbert H. Neese, Jr. Professor of Economics at Beloit College and an Economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. Hall is a past President of the Association of Private Enterprise Education. In addition to being a co-author on the widely-cited Economic Freedom of the World annual report, he is author of over 100 academic journal articles.Marcus M. Witcher is a postdoctoral professor of history at West Virginia University. He earned his bachelor degree in history with a minor in economics from the University of Central Arkansas. He then received his masters and PhD in history from the University of Alabama. Marcus is currently revising his book manuscript Getting Right with Reagan: Conservatives and the Fortieth President, 1980-2016. He has published four peer-reviewed articles, six book reviews, and has presented his work at over ten academic conferences. 

Acknowledgements 7
Contents 8
Contributors 9
1 British Public Debt, the Acadian Expulsion and the American Revolution 10
1.1 Introduction 10
1.2 British Public Finance and the Burden of Empire 12
1.3 The Acadian Upheaval 13
1.4 A Public Choice Interpretation of the Policy Shift 15
1.5 Conclusion 18
References 19
2 North-South Alliances During the Drafting of the Constitution: The Costs of Compromise 21
2.1 Introduction 21
2.2 The Political Economy of Constitution Making 24
2.3 The North-South Alliances at the 1787 Constitutional Convention 27
2.3.1 Apportionment and Direct Taxation 28
2.3.2 Election of Executive 35
2.3.3 The Fugitive Slave Clause 39
2.3.4 The Slave Trade Compromise 41
2.3.5 Taxation of Exports and Imports 43
2.3.6 Slave Importation 47
2.3.7 Congressional Voting Rules for Commercial Regulations 51
2.3.8 Analysis of the Slave Trade Compromise 54
2.4 Conclusion 55
References 58
3 A Paradox of Secessionism: The Political Economy of Slave Enforcement and the Union 60
3.1 Introduction 60
3.2 The Political Economy of Slavery 63
3.3 What Lincoln's Election Meant for Slavery 67
3.4 The Secessionist Impulse 69
3.5 Creating a Slave-Based Security State 72
References 74
4 Why Is There a Ratchet Effect? Evidence from Civil War Income Taxes 76
4.1 Introduction 76
4.2 The Ratchet Effect in the US Civil War 77
4.2.1 The Crisis and Immediate Response 77
4.2.2 The Process of Forming a Coalition 78
4.2.3 The Civil War Income Tax of 1861 80
4.2.4 The Civil War Income Tax of 1862 81
4.2.5 Civil War Income Tax of 1864 84
4.3 Civil War Income Tax Repeal, or What Happens After the Crisis? 85
4.3.1 Manufacturers 87
4.3.2 Farmers 87
4.3.3 Financial Interests 88
4.4 Interaction of the Three Groups 90
4.5 Conclusion: Lessons From the Civil War Income Taxes 91
References 92
5 Who Did Protective Legislation Protect? Evidence from 1880 94
5.1 Introduction 95
5.2 The 1880 Census Sample 99
5.3 Employee Opposition to Long Hours and the Length of the Working Day 103
5.4 The Emergence of Protective Legislation 104
5.5 Some Qualitative Evidence on Enforcement and the Impact of Hours Laws on Behavior 111
5.6 Recent Debate Over Female Protective Legislation 115
5.7 Protective Legislation and Hours of Work 116
5.8 Impact of Hours Legislation in 1920 Compared with 1880 120
5.9 Impact of Hours Legislation in 1880 122
5.10 The Impact of Hours Legislation on Labor Force Composition 126
5.11 Compliance and Protective Legislation 130
5.12 Conclusion 137
References 139
6 Political Selection of Federal Reserve Bank Cities 142
6.1 Introduction 142
6.2 Background 144
6.3 Regression Analysis 149
6.4 Conclusion 158
References 159
7 Demand for Private and State-Provided Health Insurance in the 1910s: Evidence from California 161
7.1 Introduction 161
7.2 Private Health Insurance in 1918 162
7.3 Debating State-Provided Health Insurance 170
7.4 Voting on State-Provided Health Insurance 174
7.5 Explaining the Defeat 180
7.6 Concluding Remarks 183
References 184
8 What Determines the Allocation of National Government Grants to the States? 186
8.1 Introduction 186
8.2 Some Methodological Considerations 189
8.3 The New Deal 190
8.4 Beyond the New Deal 197
8.5 Conclusions 202
References 203