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Constitutional Evolution in Ancient Athens

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The present essay reviews recent political economy research in the policy-making institutions of the direct democracy of ancient Athens, 508–322 (all dates BCE), their origins, and evolution. The historical events, especially tensions between rich and poor and existential external threats, which led to the emergence of the Athenian democracy, are first described. The institutions of decision-making, assembly, magistrates, and courts, are then discussed along with various reforms in response to changing circumstances. The essay ends with some reflections on the nature of the direct democracy, its legitimatization, and the internal consistency of its institutions in comparison to its modern representative analog.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Ulster University Business School, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    George Tridimas

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  1. George Tridimas
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Correspondence to George Tridimas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Montpellier, France

    Alain Marciano

  2. Dept DiGSPES, Univ del Piemonte Orientale Dept DiGSPES, Alessandria, Italy

    Giovanni Battista Ramello

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Tridimas, G. (2018). Constitutional Evolution in Ancient Athens. In: Marciano, A., Ramello, G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_747-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_747-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7883-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Constitutional Evolution in Ancient Athens
    Published:
    07 September 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_747-2

  2. Original

    Constitutional Evolution in Ancient Athens
    Published:
    16 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_747-1

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