In order to understand the nature of eighteenth-century Spanish political development, the highest organs of central government (Councils, Boards, Ministries, Secretariats, etcetera), and the organs of regional and provincial government ought to be examined together with institutional practices such as: hacienda (the management of the public Finances or Treasury); fiscalidad (the system of taxation) and fomento (the promotion and protection of public works, buildings, etcetera). The latter is one of the favourite terms of the Enlightenment and represents the government's intention to intervene directly not only in social organization but also in economic activity. Private law (derecho privado) is another aspect that can provide a key to the understanding of family relations and forms of ownership in their interaction with norms of ideological behaviour and implementation. Finally, it is also necessary to analyze the role played by the administrative agents, or civil servants, who manned the state bureaucracy.