THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF MEDIEVAL VOTING INSTITUTIONS - A COMPARISON OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE

This paper argues that in the middle ages voting institutions emerged as mechanisms that allowed rulers to cooperate with subjects on mutual ly profitable projects. In spite of their utility, many of these votin g institutions eventually declined. We test the model on the English p arliament and the French estates general. The historical evidence stro ngly supports our view that these institutions declined in France, but not in England, due to increases in the heterogeneity of voters' inte rests and the insecurity of French rulers, since these factors made co operation between French rulers and their subjects more difficult.