The political economy of mass printing: Legitimacy and technological change in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

JEL classification:a b s t r a c t Cos ßgel, Metin M., Miceli, Thomas J., and Rubin, Jared-The political economy of mass printing: Legitimacy and technological change in the Ottoman Empire New technologies have not always been greeted with full enthusiasm. Although the Ottomans were quick to adopt advancements in military technology, they waited almost three centuries to sanction printing in Ottoman Turkish (in Arabic characters). Printing spread relatively rapidly throughout Europe following the invention of the printing press in 1450 despite resistance by interest groups and temporary restrictions in some countries. We explain differential reaction to technology through a political economy approach centered on the legitimizing relationships between rulers and their agents (e.g., military, religious, or secular authorities). The Ottomans regulated the printing press heavily to prevent the loss it would have caused to the ruler's net revenue by undermining the legitimacy provided by religious authorities. On the other hand, the legitimizing relationship between European religious and political authorities was undermined over a century prior to the invention of the press. European rulers thus had little reason to stop the spread of printing as public policy, nor could the Church have stopped it had it wanted to. The Ottomans eventually sanctioned printing in Arabic script in the 18th century after alternative sources of legitimacy emerged.

Why did the knowledge transition occur in the West and not in the East? ICT and the role of governments in Europe, East Asia and the Muslim world

“…a lowly tool, to facilitate faithful memorization of the word" [Hesse 2002: 27]. Similar arguments are made by Cosgel, Miceli, and Rubin [2012]. 15 Logan further compares the importance of the introduction of the alphabet to Arabia with what happened in earlier societies: " [w]hat is important about [the] development [from tribal systems of law to Islamic conceptions] is the parallel with the transformation that occurred in Mesopotamia, ancient Israel, and Rome in which the alphabet (or phonetic writing) was accompanied by three developments: 1.…”

“…11 8 See the same consequence for Islam and Judaism. 9 However, the educational leadership may have already been decreasing before the printing press with the creation of universities since the 13 th century [Febvre and Martin 1976;Cosgel, Miceli, and Rubin 2012].…”

“…The recreation of these letters was seen to be allowed by qualified individuals only. Cosgel, Miceli, and Rubin [2012] present an alternative political economy hypothesis focusing on government legitimacy. Note that they define legitimacy in a different way as in the previous sections.…”

“…In consequence, Cosgel, Miceli, and Rubin [2012] argue that Ottoman rulers were still more dependent on the loyalty of religious authorities in the 15 th century than their European counterparts on the legitimacy of the Catholic Church. To take Kertcher and Margalit's [2005] terms constructed legitimacy was still more important for the Ottoman rulers.…”

“…It may have even been punishable by death [Cosgel, Miceli, and Rubin 2012]. 16 The centralized structure of the empire assured a strict enforcement of such orders [Macioti 1989;Kertcher and Margalit 2005].…”