History Matters : Essays on Economic Growth, Technology, and Demographic Change

ISBN 10: 0804743983 / ISBN 13: 9780804743983

Published by Stanford University Press, 2003

Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 15993576-6

Synopsis:

Combining theoretical work with careful historical description and analysis of new data sources, History Matters makes a strong case for a more historical approach to economics, both by argument and by example. Seventeen original essays, written by distinguished economists and economic historians, use economic theory and historical cases to explore how and why "history matters."

The chapters, which range in subject matter from the economic theory of irreversible investment to the nineteenth-century decline in U.S. rural fertility to the English poor law reform, are unified by three themes. The first explores the significance, causes, and consequences of path dependence in the evolution of technology and institutions. The second relates to the ways in which economic and political behavior are profoundly shaped and constrained by the cultural and political context inherited from history at a particular point in time. The final theme demonstrates the importance of integrating economic theory into historical research in the gathering and interpretation of data.

About the Author: William A. Sundstrom is Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University. Timothy W. Guinnane is Professor of Economics at Yale University. Warren C. Whatley is Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan.

Bibliographic Details

Title: History Matters : Essays on Economic Growth,...
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good