To what extent has the British economy declined compared to its competitors and what are the underlying reasons for this decline? Nicholas Crafts, one of the world's foremost economic historians, tackles these questions in a major new account of Britain's long-run economic performance. He argues...

Silicon Valley, trajectories and government policy -- Trajectories, competitive advantage and learning -- Industrial policy debates -- Policy options -- The early Asian model: building domestic businesses -- Capability building for a global economy: Singapore and Ireland -- Building global...

Introduction: Imagining a Confederate economy -- Shifting cultivation, slavery, and economic development -- Agricultural reform and state activism -- Explaining Lieber's paradox : railroads, state building, and slavery -- Redefining free trade to modernize the South -- Economic nationalism and...