Douglass North once emphasized that development takes centuries, but he did not have a theory of how and why change occurs. This groundbreaking book advances such a theory by examining in detail why England and Spain developed so slowly from 1000 to 1800. A colonial legacy must go back centuries...

"This book is a historical synthesis of the culture of exploitation. It is also a lamentation of the qualities of America that led to current environmental crises. The author hopes to provoke and invite readers to engage in the difficult work of reimagining our modern world in more sustainable...