The question asked in this paper is whether modern societies enable the individual to lead a happier life. It was hoped during the Age of the Enlightenment that rationally designed social conditions would lead in the future to greater prosperity, more security and increa- sed happiness for all....

Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- The agro-industrial roots of the US capitalist transition through state capacity building : 1830-1870 -- The end of slavery and southern agricultural class structure -- Farmer organizations : the rise and fall of populism -- State institutional capacity...

Gales of creative destruction -- Brewing trouble: coffee -- Stop the presses: printing the Qur'an -- Smear campaigns: margarine -- Gaining traction: farm mechanization -- Charged arguments: electricity -- Cool reception: refrigerated foods -- Facing the music: recorded sound -- Taking root:...