Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- Abbreviations and Measures
- Preface to the Fourth Edition
- PART I PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF DEVELOPMENT
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Meaning and Measurement of Economic Development
- 3 Economic Development in Historical Perspective
- 4 Characteristics and Institutions of Developing Countries
- 5 Theories of Economic Development
- PART II POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION
- PART III FACTORS OF GROWTH
- PART IV THE MACROECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT
- PART V DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Economic Development in Historical Perspective
from PART I - PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF DEVELOPMENT
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- Abbreviations and Measures
- Preface to the Fourth Edition
- PART I PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS OF DEVELOPMENT
- 1 Introduction
- 2 The Meaning and Measurement of Economic Development
- 3 Economic Development in Historical Perspective
- 4 Characteristics and Institutions of Developing Countries
- 5 Theories of Economic Development
- PART II POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND INCOME DISTRIBUTION
- PART III FACTORS OF GROWTH
- PART IV THE MACROECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT
- PART V DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Scope of the Chapter
To analyze the economics of developing countries, we need some basic facts about their growth and development, including an evolutionary biological approach to development, a sketch of economic development in ancient and medieval times (pre-15th century), world leaders in GDP capita from about 1500 to the present, the origins of modern economic growth and why it was largely confined to the West before the 20th century, non-Western (Japanese, Korean-Taiwanese, Soviet, and Chinese) growth models, the range of growth in the last 100 to 150 years, a concrete illustration of the power of exponential growth in North America in the last 125 years, the modern periods of fastest growth, the economic growth of Europe and Japan after World War II, the growth of LDCs before and after World War II, and the diverse economic performance among LDCs by country and world region. Finally, the U.N. General Assembly perceives today's major international problem as the widening income gap between rich and poor countries. Has income indeed widened, and is narrowing the gap an important goal? The last section draws on earlier sections to ask whether income levels between DCs and LDCs are converging or diverging.
An Evolutionary Biological Approach to Development
Chapter 13 argues against a naïve association between climate and human achievement but supports a more sophisticated ecological explanation.
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- Information
- Economic Development , pp. 53 - 94Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005