This book seeks to identify the forces which explain how and why some parts of the world have grown rich and others have lagged behind. Encompassing 2000 years of history, part 1 begins with the Roman Empire and explores the key factors that have influenced economic development in Africa,Asia, the Americas and Europe. Part 2 covers the development of macroeconomic tools of analysis from the 17th century to the present. Part 3 looks to the future and considers what the shape of the world economy might be in 2030. Combining both the close quantitative analysis for which ProfessorMaddison is famous with a more qualitative approach that takes into account the complexity of the forces at work, this book provides students and all interested readers with a totally fascinating overview of world economic history. Professor Maddison has the unique ability to synthesise vast amountsof information into a clear narrative flow that entertains as well as informs, making this text an invaluable resource for all students and scholars, and anyone interested in trying to understand why some parts of the World are so much richer than others.
How do economists tackle the problems of the economic system and give advice on public policy? Nobel laureate R.H. Coase reflects on some of the most fundamental concerns of economists over the past two centuries. In 15 essays, Coase explore the history and philosophy of economics and evaluates the contributions of a number of outstanding figures.
Essays by internationally prominent economists examine long run cross-country economic trends from the perspective of New Comparative Economic History, an approach pioneered by Harvard economist Jeffrey G. Williamson. The innovative approach to economic history known as the New Comparative Economic History represents a distinct change in the way that many economic historians view their role, do their work, and interact with the broader economics profession. The New Comparative Economic History reflects a belief that economic processes can best be understood by systematically comparing experiences across time, regions, and, above all, countries. It is motivated by current questions that are not nation specific--the sources of economic growth, the importance of institutions, and the impact of globalization--and focuses on long-run trends rather than short-run ups and downs in economic activity. The essays in this volume offer a New Economic Comparative History perspective on a range of topics and are written in honor of Jeffrey G. Williamson, the most distinguished and influential scholar in the field. The contributors, prominent American and European economists, consider such topics as migration, education, and wage convergence; democracy and protectionism in the nineteenth century; trade and immigration policies in labor-scarce economies; and the effect of institutions on European productivity and jobs.
Business is woven into the very fabric of American life, yet rarely surfaces in the nation's literary history. Even in novels about business, it proves an elusive motif that fails to mirror actual business organizations. This book argues that literary representations of business remain ineffable because business serves potential aesthetic functions, subtly yet meaningfully impacting readers. Exploring the complex representation of business in realist, naturalist and modernist works, Erhan Simsek reveals these functions by analyzing how the motif intertwines with social developments, literary movements and author biographies. He thus illuminates the motif itself while highlighting the utility of a focus on the changing functions of literature.
Lewis Issues a Forceful Warning to Industry, 1936 5. GM Managers Work Behind Closed Doors on a Collective Bargaining Policy, 1936 6. Magazine of Wall Street Assesses Corporate Performance for Investors, 1929-1938 7. St. Louis Banker Heads the Defense Plant Corporation, 1940-1944 8. Life Celebrates Henry J. Kaiser and the U.S. Wartime Shipbuilding Program, 1942 9. Mill and Factory Explains How the Aircraft Industry Recruits Women, 1942 ESSAYS Michael A. Bernstein, Why the Great Depression Was Great Howell John Harris, GM, Chrysler, and Unionization Joel Davidson, World War II and the Birth of the Military-Industrial Complex 12. Postwar Challenges and Opportunities: The Culture of Affluence and the Cold War, 1945-1980 DOCUMENTS 1. National Association of Manufacturers Outlines a Plan for Postwar Prosperity, 1944 2. Real Estate Developers Lure Business to the Suburbs, 1948 3.A Concerned Consumer Asks a Big Businessman about the Price of a Nylon Shirt, 1950 4.U.S. News and World Report Explains What the Baby Boom Means to the Economy, 1957 5. Fortune Credits Federal Policies for the Explosion of Motels, 1959 6. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey Compares R & D Expenditures at Home and Abroad, 1962 7. Vietnam War Raises Business Hackles, 1971 ESSAYS Lizabeth Cohen, From Town Center to Shopping Center: The Reconfiguration of Marketplaces in Postwar America Bruce J. Schulman, Fortress Dixie: Defense Spending and the Rise of the Sunbelt 13. Business and the Public Interest: Corporate Responsibility for Environment, Health, and Safety, 1945-2005 DOCUMENTS 1.A Prominent Zoologist Speaks about the Threat of the Modern Economy, 1949 2. Weyerhauser Explains the Forest Industry's Practices, 1949 3. Ralph Nader Blames Detroit Carmakers for Automotive Accidents, 1965 4. Alcoa CEO Explains the Public Responsibility of Private Enterprise, 1967 5. Economist Milton Friedman Urges Business to Focus on Profits, 1970 6. Sun Oil Executives Outlines the Nation's Energy Dilemmas, 1973 7.A Lawmaker Explains the Necessity for Superfund, 1981 8. CIGNA Doctor Critiques Tobacco Advertising, 1987 9. Hawaiians Debate Airport Expansion on Maui, 1996 ESSAYS David B. Sicilia, The Corporation Under Siege Mansel G. Blackford, The Controversy over the Kahului Airport 14. The Great Transition from Manufacturing to Services, 1945-2005 DOCUMENTS 1. Economist Victor R. Fuchs Highlights the Growth of Services, 1965 2. Investment Bankers Association Predicts a Computer Boom, 1963 3. Bill Veeck Assesses Baseball's Marketing, 1963 4. Ray Kroc Explains How He Built the McDonald's Empire, 1968 5. Journalists Probe Transportation Workers' Lives in the Wake of Deregulation, 1992 6. Sam Walton, Ten Rules That Worked for Me, 1992 7.A Congressman Explores Wal-Mart's Labor Practices in the United States and Asia, 2004 ESSAYS Thomas S. Dicke, We Deliver: Domino's Pizza and the Franchising Method Richard H.K. Vietor, American Airlines Competes after Deregulation Simon Head, Inside Wal-Mart 15. American Business in the World, 1945-2005 DOCUMENTS 1, Fortune Urges Business to Export Capitalism and Democracy, 1947 2. High Labor Costs and Foreign Competition Confound Steelmakers, 1968 3. National Industrial Conference Board Assesses the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), 1969 4. Pharmaceutical Giant Bristol-Myers Encounters Cultural Differences in Japan and the USSR in the 1970s 5, Time Documents the Agricultural Surplus, 1986 6. Journalist Thomas L. Friedman Describes McDonald's Global Expansion, 1996 7. Washington Think Tank Calculates NAFTA's Impact on Jobs, 2001 (table and maps) 8. USDA Reports NAFTA's Benefits to Agricultural Exports, 2001 ESSAYS Geoffrey Jones, Multinationals and Globalization Martin N. Baily and Diana Farrell, Exploding the Myths about Offshoring.
A unique overview of Portuguese oceanic expansion between 1400 and 1800, the essays in this volume treat a wide range of subjects - economy and society, politics and institutions, cultural configurations and comparative dimensions - and radically update data and interpretations on the economic and financial trends of the Portuguese Empire. Interregional networks are analysed in a substantial way. Patterns of settlement, political configurations, ecclesiastical structures, and local powers are put in global context. Language and literature, the arts, and science and technology are revisited with refreshing and innovative approaches. The interaction between Portuguese and local people is studied in different contexts, while the entire imperial and colonial culture of the Portuguese world is looked at synthetically for the first time. In short, this book provides a broad understanding of the Portuguese Empire in its first four centuries as a factor in world history and as a major component of European expansion.
Combining theoretical work with careful historical description and analysis of new data sources, History Matters makes a strong case for a more historical approach to economics, both by argument and by example. Seventeen original essays, written by distinguished economists and economic historians, use economic theory and historical cases to explore how and why "history matters." The chapters, which range in subject matter from the economic theory of irreversible investment to the nineteenth-century decline in U.S. rural fertility to the English poor law reform, are unified by three themes. The first explores the significance, causes, and consequences of path dependence in the evolution of technology and institutions. The second relates to the ways in which economic and political behavior are profoundly shaped and constrained by the cultural and political context inherited from history at a particular point in time. The final theme demonstrates the importance of integrating economic theory into historical research in the gathering and interpretation of data.
The essays in this book explore the forces behind modern economic growth and, in particular, the causes of the extraordinary surge of growth since the Second World War. The introductory essay is an extended treatment of how economists now view the growth process and its causes. Other essays consider the contributions of capital formation, education, and the changed nature of industries and occupations. Professor Abramovitz asks why elevated incomes failed to bring the social progress and personal satisfaction that people had looked for. The final chapters in the book take up the causes of our discontent and consider whether the Welfare State has itself become an obstacle to further economic progress.The essays in this book explore the forces behind modern economic growth and, in particular, the causes of the extraordinary surge of growth since the Second World War. The introductory essay is an extended treatment of how economists now view the growth process and its causes. Other essays consider the contributions of capital formation, education, and the changed nature of industries and occupations. Professor Abramovitz asks why elevated incomes failed to bring the social progress and personal satisfaction that people had looked for. The final chapters in the book take up the causes of our discontent and consider whether the Welfare State has itself become an obstacle to further economic progress.