Description
Book SynopsisWhy are some nations more technically creative than others and why do some highly innovative societies eventually stagnate? In this provocative study of the value and meaning of technological advance, Joel Mokyr considers how past physical and social conditions have influenced the development and reception of new ideas, and shows how these trends can guide future industrial strategies at a time when more countries than ever before are competing for the rewards of technical ingenuity.
Trade ReviewThis is an important book about the determinants of technological creativity and why the West has been successful in promoting and adopting new technology for economic progress. The Lever of Riches is a valuable book that every economist should read. * Gary D. Libecap, University of Arizona, Journal of Comparative Economics 15 (1991) *
it brings together a wealth of information on the development of technology and the means of analysing it ... it is so splendidly provocative * Roger Burt, University of Exeter, Economic History Review, Aug '91 *
This is an ambitious and intriguing book ... What marks it out is the sophisticated handling of the theory of techonological change, within an evolutionary theoretical paradigm ... this is an important, erudite and engrossing book, and is lifely to be one of the key works in the emerging evolutionary analysis of technological change. It is essential reading for those interested in both economic history and the development of evolutionary economics. * Geoff Hodgson, University of Cambridge *
Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction; Part II: Classical antiquity; The Middle Ages; The Renaissance and beyond; The years of miracles: the Industrial Revolution; The later Nineteenth century; Part III: Understanding technological progress; Classical and medieval technology; China and Europe; The industrial revolution: Britain and Europe; Part IV: Evolution and the dynamics of technological change
