All societies must deal with the possibility of violence, and they do so in different ways. This study integrates the problem of violence into a larger social science and historical framework, showing how economic and political behavior are closely linked.

Originally published: 2009. "With a new preface and afterword by the authors"--Cover.

The conceptual framework --The natural state -- The natural state applied : English land law -- Open access orders -- Explaining the transition from limited to open access orders : the doorstep conditions -- The transition proper -- A new research agenda for the social sciences.