Show or hide comments about the document.
Search over the document's text.
Share the document through social networks or e-mail.
After selecting an area on the page.
...you can:
copy the text
share the segment
comment
cite the document

Spring 2022

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 37, Number 1

Yo-Ho-Ho, and a Bottle of Vodka: The Governance of the Russian Ushkuiniki Pirates

Vladimir Vladimirovich Maltsev, King's College London

Download

e-mail

<< Back to editing
Previous version by
<< Older
Newer >>
Revert to this one

Edit
Cancel
Fullscreen

Show comments
Zoom:
Page: / 13

Line spacing:
Word spacing:

Search:FindClose

search results

TheJournalofPrivateEnterprise37(1),2022,47-59Yo-Ho-Ho,andaBottleofVodka:TheGovernanceoftheRussianUshkuinikiPiratesVladimirVladimirovichMaltsev*King’sCollegeLondonAbstractThispaperexaminesthegovernanceoftheRussianushkuinikipiratesinthemedievalperiod.Theushkuinikihadtosecurecooperationontheirvesselsprivately.Ihypothesizethattheushkuinikicaptainsscreenedtheirapplicantsviaritualcombatandbloodoaths.Theritualcombatfilteredoutnoncooperatorsbyimposingcostsuponthembeforeavoyage,andthebloodoathdestinedoathbreakerstofacecapitalpunishment.Theapplicationprocessensuredthatonlyloyalpirateswouldboardthetheshipandallowedcooperationtobeself-enforcing.Theeffectivenessoftheushkuinikiisevidencedbytheirlargefleetsandextensiveplunder.JELCodes:K42,N83,P49Keywords:anarchy,pirates,Russia,ritualcombat,bloodoath,ushkuinikiI.IntroductionInthepasttwodecades,economictheoryhasenjoyedasurgeofresearchoncriminalorganizationsandtheirgovernance(Skaperdas2001;Varese2001;SobelandOsoba2009;LeesonandRogers2012;Skarbek2014).Suchresearchhaspaidspecialattentiontopirates.Whileeconomicanalysisofthesecriminalshasexistedforsometime(Storr2004),researchonpiratesyieldeditsgreatestresultsthroughtheeffortsofPeterLeeson(2007;2009;2010).Leesonarguesthatcontrarytothetypicalimageofgoldenagepiratesasrowdyanddisorganized,theseabanditsweregovernedbyastrictsystemofrules.Piratessoughttomaximizethegainsfromtheircriminalactivitiesyetcouldnotrelyonstatesystemsoflawanddisputeresolution.Theyhadtoinventtheirownprivatelawcodesandunderpinthemwithademocraticsystemofchecksandbalances,or“piraticaldemocracy”(Leeson2007).Thissystemallowedthepiratestominimizethenegativeexternalitiesfromconflictontheirshipsandkeepcaptainpredationundercontrol.Leeson(2007,pp.1077–1079)concludesthat*IwanttothankNatashaPurserforhelpingmeeditthepaper,andAliciaPlemmonsforprovidingusefulinsights.Ialsothankananonymousreviewerfortheircommentsthathelpedsignificantlyimprovethepaper.

GLIFOS-digital_archive

Metadata [hide]

Title	Yo-Ho-Ho, and a Bottle of Vodka: The Governance of the Russian Ushkuiniki Pirates
Authors/Creators:	Vladimir Vladimirovich Maltsev, King's College London
Year:	2022
Volume:	37
Number:	1
Pages:	47 - 59
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	anarchy, pirates, Russia, ritual combat, blood oath, ushkuiniki

Citation:
Maltsev, Vladimir Vladimirovich / 2022. "Yo-Ho-Ho, and a Bottle of Vodka: The Governance of the Russian Ushkuiniki Pirates." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 37(1): 47-59.