Not until the war France in 1697 did William III persuade Parliament to create a professional standing army, and Parliaments price for doing so was to keep the army under tight legislative control.

In some countries, such as China, a licence is needed to publish books; others, such as Germany and France, have price controls for books.

France has imposed a minimum price on carbon, for instance, and Germany and Spain give subsidies directly to renewable-energy firms.