Trade, Regulation and Empire State-building in Britain: The Board of Trade's Role in Building the British Regulatory State

This book explores the impact of the Board of Trade upon the British state from the early seventeenth century to the early twentieth century. The study argues that for too long historians have overlooked the Board, yet it was a critical force in shaping the British state and in developing its capacity both for economic regulation and for economic development. Focusing on the slave trade and on the textiles, shipping, and infrastructural industries, the authors examine the Board of Trade’s r...