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This book upturns many established ideas regarding the economic and social history of Quebec, the Canadian province that is home to the majority of its French population. It places the case of Quebec into the wider question of convergence in economic history and whether proactive governments delay or halt convergence.
The period from 1945 to 1960, infamously labelled the Great Gloom (Grande Noirceur), was in fact a breaking point where the previous decades of relative decline were overturned - Geloso argues that this era should be considered the Great Convergence (Grand Rattrapage). In opposition, the Quiet Revolution that followed after 1960 did not accelerate these trends. In fact, there are signs of slowing down and relative decline that appearafter the 1970s. The author posits that the Quiet Revolution sowed the seeds for a growth slowdown by crowding-out social capital and inciting rent-seeking behaviour on the part of interest groups.
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Québec's economic development from 1900 to 1939.- Chapter 3. The Great Catch-Up of 1945-1960: Economic conditions.- Chapter 4. The Great Catch-Up of 1945-1960: Health and Education.- Chapter 5. The Great Catch-Up of 1945-1960: Quebeckers' social behaviour and the Church.- Chapter 6. Explaining the Great Stagnation.- Chapter 7. Explaining the transition to the Great Catch-up.- Chapter 8. The Quiet Decline (1960-today): Economic conditions.- Chapter 9. The Quiet Decline (1960-today): Education.- Chapter 10. Explaining the Quiet Decline.- Chapter 11. Conclusion.
About the author
Vincent Geloso is a post-doctoral fellow at Texas Tech University, USA. He earned his PhD at the London School of Economics, UK. His research interests include Economic History and the Economics of Religion, and he has published in
Journal of Population Research,
Economics Bulletin,
Agricultural History Review,
Essays in Economic and Business History and
Economic Affairs. He is also an economics blogger at the
Journal de Montréal, the largest French newspaper in Canada.
Summary
This book upturns many established ideas regarding the economic and social history of Quebec, the Canadian province that is home to the majority of its French population. It places the case of Quebec into the wider question of convergence in economic history and whether proactive governments delay or halt convergence.
The period from 1945 to 1960, infamously labelled the Great Gloom (Grande Noirceur), was in fact a breaking point where the previous decades of relative decline were overturned – Geloso argues that this era should be considered the Great Convergence (Grand Rattrapage). In opposition, the Quiet Revolution that followed after 1960 did not accelerate these trends. In fact, there are signs of slowing down and relative decline that appearafter the 1970s. The author posits that the Quiet Revolution sowed the seeds for a growth slowdown by crowding-out social capital and inciting rent-seeking behaviour on the part of interest groups.
