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Zusatztext any social scientist interested in "big think" questions will benefit greatly from reading The Invisible Hand? While it presents only a piece of the "great divergence" puzzle, it is an understudied piece that is an important complement to existing theories based on institutions, culture, and governance. Informationen zum Autor Bas van Bavel is distinguished professor of Transitions of Economy and Society at Utrecht University. He acts as the academic director of the Utrecht University interdisciplinary priority area -- Institutions for Open Societies -- and he is a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences.His research activities focus on reconstructing, analyzing, and explaining economic development and social change, emphasizing long-term transitions and regional diversity, and using comparative analysis -- both over time and across regions -- as the main tool. More specifically, he aims to find out why some societal arrangements are successful in generating wealth, equity and resilience, and others not, and what drives the formation of these arrangements. Klappentext Bas van Bavel offers a panoramic view of over 1000 years of history to understand why market economies are fundamentally incompatible with long-run prosperity, equity, and broad participation in decision-making. He also connects with current debates on the future of capitalism and the causes and effects of inequality. Zusammenfassung Bas van Bavel offers a panoramic view of over 1000 years of history to understand why market economies are fundamentally incompatible with long-run prosperity, equity, and broad participation in decision-making. He also connects with current debates on the future of capitalism and the causes and effects of inequality.
