Provides some theoretical developments on the topic of the performativity of economics.

Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Dignity (2010) represents another breakthrough work in her career, and the second volume in a multi-volume work on the economic and intellectual history of western civilization. In a sense, the subtitle of the book explains well what this volume is all about--why...

The paper discusses some evidence, based on a review of new literature on economic history, about what is referred to as the Sen-hypothesis, that increasing human agency (of both men and women) is a key factor in economic development. It briefly discusses various dimensions of agency (or its...

It has long been realised that factor accumulation and technological development are only proximate causes of economic development, and focus has now shifted to investigating the deeper determinants of economic growth. Two such forces are highlighted in literature : institutions and geography....

What is the relationship between real exchange rate misalignments and economic growth? And what effect, if any, did undervaluations or overvaluations of the lira/euro have on Italy's growth? We address these questions by presenting, first, three main facts: (i) there is a positive relationship...

The goal of this paper is to offer a non-technical interpretation of the "Great Divergence" and "Great Convergence" stories. After reviewing existing explanations in the literature, I propose a different interpretation. Western countries exited the Malthusian trap by destroying traditional...

In his recent Mass Flourishings, Edmund Phelps makes a strong and eloquent plea for a more dynamic economy, which he sees not only as a key for economic performance, but also as necessary for what he calls "the good life." This review essay evaluates those claims in the light of economic history.

This chapter surveys a growing body of evidence showing the impacts that historical events can have on current economic development. Over the past two decades historical persistence has been documented in a wide variety of time periods and locations, and over remarkably long time horizons....

Columbus's arrival in the New World triggered an unprecedented movement of people and crops across the Atlantic Ocean. We study an overlooked part of this "Columbian Exchange": the effects of New World crops in Africa. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that the introduction of maize during...

Modernity is as much a state of mind as it is a material condition. As such its quality can most clearly be described as a transformative ethic that has as its engine pushing it forwards and outwards the positivist and economist rationalism that is capitalism. That is to say, with capitalism as...