The first pandemic of the 21st century has brought Pyrrhic attention to one of the era’s greatest mega-trends – population ageing. Today rich countries are disproportionately affected but increasingly the world’s elderly are residents of developing countries. A policy approach that...

Foreign influence on South China increasingly disrupted the economy from the late eighteenth century. Many scholars believe the standard of living fell, while others point to positive gains from increased integration with the world economy. The paper estimates the secular trend in the average...