Description
Book SynopsisThese essays explore the cultural contexts and institutional constraints that have shaped growth and development over the past two centuries. This book offers new perspectives on why economic development took place where and when it did.
Table of ContentsPreface Introduction by John A. James and Mark Thomas Pt. I: The Profile of Progress 1: Patterns of Growth in History Eric L. Jones 2: Frontier Societies and the Diffusion of Growth Mark Thomas 3: Reflections on "The Standard of Living Debate": New Arguments and New Evidence Stanley L. Engerman Pt. II: The Cultural Foundations: Values, Markets, and Peoples 4: Puritanism and Capitalism in Early Massachusetts Stephen Innes 5: The Rise of Free Labor: Economic Change and the Enforcement of Service Contracts in England, 1351-1875 David W. Galenson 6: Cemeteries, Religion, and the Culture of Capitalism Thomas W. Laqueur Pt. III: The Economic Foundations: Labor, Capital, and Technology 7: Leaving the Farm to Go to the City: Did They Leave Quickly Enough? Jeffrey G. Williamson 8: Human Capital and Productivity in Advanced Economies N. F. R. Crafts 9: Savings, Investment, and Economic Growth: The United States in the Nineteenth Century Lance E. Davis, Robert E. Gallman. 10: Progress and Inertia in Technological Change Joel Mokyr Pt. IV: The Organizational Foundations: Property Rights, Government, and Markets 11: The Evolution of Efficient Markets in History Douglass C. North 12: The Political Economy of Institutional Change: Property Rights and the General Revision Act of 1891 Gary D. Libecap 13: Government Growth, Income Growth, and Economic Growth John J. Wallis Postscript The Writings of R. M. Hartwell References Contributors Index
