Modern economic growth started in the West in the early nineteenth century. This survey
discusses the precise connection between the Industrial Revolution and the beginnings of …

In an age of increased academic specialization where more and more books about smaller
and smaller topics are becoming the norm, this major new series is designed to provide a …

An econometric model of economic development is estimated with data from leading
European countries between 1300 and 1800. The model explores the impact of population …

Institutions that promoted or restrained early modern economic growth were established,
sustained, and often destroyed by states. Yet their economic history lacks either a …

In the twilight of the Renaissance, the grand duke of Tuscany-a scion of the fabled Medici
family of bankers-invited foreign merchants, artisans, and ship captains to settle in his port …

Why do developing countries fail to adopt the institutions and policies that promote
development? Our answer is the violence trap. Natural states prevent violence by providing …

Culture, defined as shared values and beliefs, can influence the performance of an economy
in many ways. The culture of a group, whether national, regional or ethnic, may be regarded …

North (1981, p. 166) comes close to linking the institutional changes of the late eighteenth
century with the Industrial 1 Revolution when he maintains that it was explained by “a …

“A sweeping story, embracing developments in economics and science, philosophy and
exploration, religion and politics.... Beautifully clear.”—John Lanchester, The New Yorker …

From the late 1600s to the mid 1800s, Britain was able to transform from a divided kingdom
with a fragmented, often stagnant economy into a powerful and stable state that …