The western expansion as a common pool problem: The contrasting histories of the Brazilian and North American pioneers

Fernando Zanella, Christopher Westley

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    1 Citation (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Before the year 1600, Brazil and the United States were very similar regions in terms of geographic development and colonial status, and yet both countries developed in remarkably different ways. In this article, we apply institutional analysis and the common pool approach to explain differences in the western expansion of Brazil and the United States. We find that (i) such analysis complements much of the previous literature that heretofore explained differences in these regions using sociological and ideological analytical tools, and (ii) the theory that the distinctive behavior between the Brazilian bandeirantes and the North American pioneers is due to sociological factors is refuted.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)775-789
    Number of pages15
    JournalAmerican Journal of Economics and Sociology
    Volume68
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 1 2009

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Sociology and Political Science
    • Economics and Econometrics

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