Prosperity and Violence: The Political Economy of Development by Robert H. Bates
This text looks back over the history of human civilization and explains the origins of the modern state, focusing on the stages though which capitalism evolves as a culture moves from dispersed agrarian clans to the dense modern metropolis. Informed by firsthand experience with the political and economic development of many diverse cultures, the author demonstrates how successful modern states harness ethnic diversity to encourage prosperity rather than violence.