
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Introduction Introduction
-
Historical Explanations of Current Differences in Economic Development Historical Explanations of Current Differences in Economic Development
-
Key Facts to Be Explained: The Great Acceleration and the Great Divergence Key Facts to Be Explained: The Great Acceleration and the Great Divergence
-
Geography Can Underpin Differences in Economic Development between Countries Geography Can Underpin Differences in Economic Development between Countries
-
Institutions and the Incentives for Growth-Inducing Activities Institutions and the Incentives for Growth-Inducing Activities
-
The Development of—and Access to—Ideas: Human Capital and Technological Innovation The Development of—and Access to—Ideas: Human Capital and Technological Innovation
-
Discussion Discussion
-
-
Beyond the Institutions versus Human Capital Debate: Development-Enhancing Public Policies? Beyond the Institutions versus Human Capital Debate: Development-Enhancing Public Policies?
-
State-Led Development Policies: Contemporary and Historical Examples State-Led Development Policies: Contemporary and Historical Examples
-
Reasons for Pursuing—and for Success in Pursuing—Developmental Policies Reasons for Pursuing—and for Success in Pursuing—Developmental Policies
-
-
Conclusion Conclusion
-
Acknowledgments Acknowledgments
-
Notes Notes
-
References References
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
26 Economic Development IN Historical Political Economy
Get accessJose Morales-Arilla received his PhD in Public Policy (Economics Track) at Harvard. He is currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Politics at Princeton University and as a Research Fellow at Harvard's Growth Lab. His work applies microeconomic models and quantitative empirical methods to understand the political economy of current development issues.
Joan Ricart-Huguet received his PhD in Politics from Princeton University. He was a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at the Program on Ethics, Politics, & Economics at Yale University and is currently an Assistant Professor at Loyola University Maryland. His research interests include political elites, education, colonial legacies, and culture.
Leonard Wantchekon is a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, as well as Associated Faculty in Economics. He has made substantive and methodological contributions to the fields of political economy, economic history and development economics, and has also contributed significantly to the literature on clientelism and state capture, resource curse and democratization.
-
Published:23 February 2023
Cite
Abstract
Understanding the primary causes of human prosperity is one of the most important endeavors for social scientists. Much research in the twentieth century followed a neo-classical approach that emphasized important factors such as physical capital, human capital, and technological change, but was nonetheless devoid of historical and political context. In recent decades there has been a resurgence of political and historically embedded explanations of economic development, which have greatly expanded upon the works of early political economists such as Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. This chapter provides an overview of this recent research on geography, institutions, and human capital, along with their interactions, as drivers of long-term economic development. The chapter then moves beyond these paradigms to argue that many historical political economists have largely overlooked explanations focused on state capacity and state-led development. A better understanding of the state should help scholars identify paths to break away from the low-growth equilibrium of less-developed countries.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
February 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 38 |
April 2023 | 7 |
May 2023 | 9 |
June 2023 | 41 |
July 2023 | 13 |
August 2023 | 9 |
September 2023 | 20 |
October 2023 | 10 |
November 2023 | 9 |
December 2023 | 11 |
January 2024 | 22 |
February 2024 | 41 |
March 2024 | 22 |
April 2024 | 22 |
May 2024 | 7 |
June 2024 | 19 |
July 2024 | 9 |
August 2024 | 4 |
September 2024 | 7 |
October 2024 | 14 |
November 2024 | 16 |
December 2024 | 11 |
January 2025 | 9 |
February 2025 | 13 |
March 2025 | 9 |
April 2025 | 4 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.