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Informationen zum Autor Jean-Laurent Rosenthal and R. Bin Wong Klappentext Why did sustained economic growth arise in Europe rather than in China? The authors combine economic theory and historical evidence to argue that political processes drove the economic divergence between the two world regions, with continued consequences today that become clear in this innovative account. Zusammenfassung Why did sustained economic growth arise in Europe rather than in China? The authors combine economic theory and historical evidence to argue that political processes drove the economic divergence between the two world regions! with continued consequences today that become clear in this innovative account.
List of contents
Contents Preface Introduction: Miracles, Myths, and Explanations in Economic History 1. Space and Politics 2. Population, Resources, and Economic Growth 3. Formal and Informal Mechanisms for Market Development 4. Warfare, Location of Manufacturing, and Economic Growth in China and Europe 5. Credit Markets and Economic Change 6. Autocrats, War, Taxes, and Public Goods 7. Political Economies of Growth, 1500-1950 Conclusion: Findings, Methods, and Implications Notes References Acknowledgments Index
Report
Before and Beyond Divergence addresses the old 'Why Europe? Why not China?' question by presenting clear, original, and provocative arguments. It is an important contribution, both substantively and methodologically.
-- Kenneth Pomeranz, University of California, Irvine
An important contribution that will force a wide variety of scholars to rethink what they know about both China and Europe and that lays out a model for doing big comparative research projects in the social sciences.
-- Timothy W. Guinnane, Yale University
With its sustained, rigorous economic analysis and frequently compressed exposition of complex arguments, this taut monograph is a formidable but rewarding read. Rosenthal and Wong boldly tackle one of the most challenging questions in comparative economic history: why did sustained economic growth arise in Europe rather than China? The authors systematically demolish conventional narratives touting the superiority of European political, social, and economic institutions over their Chinese counterparts. They find convincing explanations for Sino-Western divergence in contrasting processes of long-term political development originating centuries before Europe's industrial revolution. Over the course of a millennium, the huge size, prosperity, and relative stability of China's empire conferred significant economic advantages that long eluded Europe's fragmented, bellicose polities. Rosenthal and Wong nonetheless conclude that the costly military competitions that habitually distorted European history had unintended consequences. By impelling urbanization and a demand for capital-using technologies, Europe's constant wars rather than China's long peace laid the groundwork for modern economic growth.
-- R. P. Gardella Choice
