Institutional Design

Research Case: Why did Rome send a delegation to Athens to investigate its laws?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why did Rome send a delegation to Athens to investigate its laws? This question cannot be answered simply by saying that Rome wanted to import the advanced laws of Athens. In the early Roman Republic, law and public authority still depended heavily … Read more

Research Case: Why was the Roman OS able to repair itself institutionally after the despotism of the Decemvirs without falling into a cycle of revenge?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why was the Roman OS able to repair itself institutionally after the despotism of the Decemvirs without falling into a cycle of revenge? This question is not only about why Rome was able to overthrow the Decemvirs. Another danger appears after a … Read more

Research Case: Why was Roman freedom protected by the right of appeal and the power of the tribunes of the plebs?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why was Roman freedom protected by the right of appeal and the power of the tribunes of the plebs? This question is not only about the historical fact that the right of appeal and the tribunes protected the plebeians. The deeper question … Read more

Research Case: Why does a reform body become a despotic institution when it loses the controls over its authority?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why does a reform body become a despotic institution when it loses the controls over its authority? This question is not only about why the Decemvirs lost control. The deeper question is this: Why did a temporary body created to change an … Read more

Research Case: Why did Rome need written law?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why did Rome need written law? This question is not only about why Rome needed laws. The deeper question is this: Why could the early Roman Republic no longer stabilize its rule only through custom, aristocratic discretion, self restraint of magistrates, and … Read more

Research Case: Why did Rome almost lose its freedom through the Decemvirs, who were created to write down the law, and yet manage to repair itself?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 3 1. Question Why did Rome almost lose its freedom through the Decemvirs, who were created to write down the law, and yet manage to repair itself? This question is not only about why the Decemvirs failed. The deeper question is this: Why did an … Read more

Research Case: Why Must a New Regime Deal with the People, Names, Property, and Rituals of the Old Regime?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 2 1. Question Why must a new regime deal with the people, names, property, and rituals of the old regime in order to become stable? In Livy’s History of Rome, Book 2, Rome expels the kings and forms the Republic. However, the establishment of a … Read more

Research Case: Why Is a Regime Already Collapsed When Trust Is Lost, Even If Its Institutions Still Remain?

by

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 1 1. Research Question Why is a regime already collapsed in substance when Trust is lost, even if its institutions still remain? Livy’s History of Rome, Book 1 describes the rise and fall of the Roman monarchy. In the final phase of the monarchy, many … Read more

Research Case: Why the Success or Failure of Governance Depends Not on Institutions but on the Awareness of Those Who Operate Them

by

1. Question Why does the success or failure of governance depend not on the formal design of institutions themselves, but on the awareness of the actors who operate them? 2. Abstract A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) reading of Zhenguan Zhengyao shows that the success or failure of state governance is not determined simply by whether institutions … Read more