Civilizations rise and fall based on the effectiveness of their socio‐political arrangements and institutions. The institutions that matter most are the laws and customs that govern 1) production and exchange of goods (trade), 2) land tenure and the distribution of the surplus associated with it, 3) the levying of taxes to provide public goods and services, and 4) the monetary systems adopted to facilitate such activities. If those institutions distribute the benefits of civilization equitably to all members of society, the result is likely to be peace and prosperity. However, if the rules of a society are designed to protect the interests of an elite, conflict is likely to ensue. Unrestricted trade across national borders (“free trade”) has the potential to produce socially beneficial outcomes, but it is not sufficient to overcome systemic injustices associated with flawed systems of land tenure, taxation, and monetary management. This article makes use of historical examples to examine trade in relation to the other institutions to show why just social arrangements must be considered an essential part of trade policy.

中文翻译：

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土地权属，税收和货币体系在实现和享受自由贸易中的作用

文明的兴衰取决于其社会政治安排和制度的有效性。最重要的机构是管理以下方面的法律和习惯：1）产品的生产和交换（贸易）； 2）土地保有权和与之相关的剩余分配； 3）征收税款以提供公共物品和服务， 4）为促进此类活动而采用的货币体系。如果这些机构将文明的利益平均分配给社会所有成员，那么结果可能就是和平与繁荣。但是，如果社会规则旨在保护精英人士的利益，则很可能会发生冲突。跨境无限制贸易（“自由贸易”）有可能产生对社会有利的结果，但这还不足以克服与土地权属，税收和货币管理等有缺陷的制度有关的系统性不公正现象。本文利用历史案例来检验与其他机构的贸易，以说明为什么必须将社会安排视为贸易政策的重要组成部分。