By examining economic growth within a broader social and geographical context, the book offers relevant insights applicable to economics and related disciplines. By innovating, people disrupt political systems and the existing structure in society (Christensen et al. Economic growth is intricately linked to various geographic factors, such as resource access, spatial trade patterns, and wealth distribution.

This historical perspective enhances readers’ understanding of the long-term dynamics of wealth creation. As noted, while the authors try to direct the reader towards relevant literature, many supplementary areas would strengthen the work. They discuss recently-advanced theories rooted in geography, politics, culture, demography, and colonialism. Now, the claim that medieval peasants were better off than 21st-century Americans is palpable nonsense.

Furthermore, Koyama and Rubin’s (2022) global outlook may lack depth in examining specific countries or regions, potentially leaving readers wanting more detailed regional perspectives. Radical ideas, be they religious or secular, are much more appealing when there is little hope for a better future”. The authors analyze how institutions, including property rights, the rule of law, governance structures, and political systems, have influenced economic development. This will enable them to understand how economic systems impact the Environment and how geographic factors change economic outcomes (Alberti et al.

I won’t stop prating on about how skeptical I am about schooling-based stories of 19th-century growth—most people weren’t doing jobs that required more than rudimentary literacy and numeracy. The Glorious Revolution isn’t just significant in itself—it accrues explanatory prominence because a century later Britain was in the throes of economic development, and because we have compelling stories linking the two. They view recent decades as characterized by the rise of intangibles and they argue that growth has been slow because we lack the rules to best exploit the intangible economy.

Koyama and Rubin (2022) adopt language understandable to readers with varying levels of familiarity with economics, making the topic more approachable and engaging. However, Piketty is highly opposed to innovation and barely mentions this throughout his entire book. The second is also a literature review, but in the guise of a “rise of the west”-type book, and covers the medieval preconditions for European growth, Britain’s takeoff, and the spread of the Industrial Revolution to the global periphery. By doing this, the authors significantly contribute to the literature on economic growth by filling gaps and addressing limitations in the current works.

Quality of life went from improving very gradually if at all for the vast majority of human history to improving very, very quickly. The method by which Koyama and Rubin (2022) consider and incorporate the historical context and long-term trends is another notable aspect of the book. The best tribute that I can make for How the World Became Rich , Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin’s recent addition to the economic history canon, is that I put another book on pause to read it.Koyama and Rubin (2022) offer a comprehensive analysis of economic growth, delving into various factors that have contributed to global wealth creation.

Maybe, given the flaws of the British polity (and its mercantilism/militarism/land reform agendas), this actually makes a perverse kind of sense. I kind of sometimes There's good work in poly sci (Mark Dincecco and Yuhua Wang) who I feel do a good job of matching constrained governance with state strength in a more cohesive story, and I'd like to see more work connecting this to economic growth.

It presents complex economic concepts clearly and understandably, avoiding excessive technical jargon. One might also add: a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, where favorable wind patterns might blow a lucky mariner into the Americas, and a climate (following Eric Jones) less prone to disasters (facilitating capital accumulation). Indeed, if Britain was no less corrupt and no more democratic than her European rivals, what exactly were the institutional aspects of the British state that facilitated growth? In the United Kingdom, whose Industrial Revolution kicked off this transformation, GDP per capita grew about 40 percent between 1700 and 1800.