Paths to Fiscal Transparency

Abstract

The articles published in this special issue proceed from a workshop whichtookplaceattheUniversityofReadinginApril20 1 4,fundedbythe Economic and Social Research Centre (ESRC,UK),withthesupportofthe Centre de Recherches Historiques at the cole des Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales (CRH-EHESS). 8 At o t a lo fn i n ee x p e r t so ns i xO l dR e g i m eE uropean polities (France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Dutch Provinces, t h eKi n g d o mo fN a p l e sa n dS w e d e n)d e b a t e dt h et h e m e' T h eE x c e s s e so f 7. M. DINCECCO, 2013. 8. I thank both these institutions for their nancial help. Support from The Economic and Social Research Council is part of a 3-year professorial fellowship (ES/K010654).

Introduction: Corruption and the Rise of the Fiscal State

“…Velde shows that the transparency and impartiality of the rules established by the Paris brothers to liquidate the System of John Law through a Visa of the debts was relative, the king secretly granting favours to creditors. Even in limited monarchies, like Sweden, where the arcana imperii had to be shared fiscal information remained the preserve of a small and collegial elite (Winton), the tools for fiscal transparency had yet to be invented and implemented (Félix 2015). Moreover, friendship and love, and their manifestation through gifts, presents and patrons/clients relations, were part and parcel of the various mechanisms which linked states and financiers as well as financiers and credit markets to fund expenditure.…”