Courts of old Istanbul yield insights on modern poverty
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 06:31
in Psychology & Sociology
Few might think to seek insights on Middle Eastern conflict or modern poverty in court records of the Ottoman empire. Yet when Duke University economist Timur Kuran combed through those centuries-old court documents, he made a surprising discovery with implications for modern times: The courts' actions had unintended consequences that inadvertently undercut people's finances.