Why Australia Prospered: The Shifting Sources of Economic Growth (Princeton Economic History of the Western World): 43 (The Princeton Economic History of the Western World) - Hardcover

Mclean, Ian W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691154678 ISBN 13: 9780691154671

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Rare Book

About this title

Review:

"Looking at a period spanning two hundred years, this book explores why Australia was so rich at the end of the nineteenth century and why it has remained rich. McLean shows how history sheds light on Australia's long-run economic performance and he cogently discusses the contributions and limitations of formal theory in explaining Australian growth."--George Grantham, professor emeritus, McGill University

"This exceptionally well-written book explains why Australia has been almost continuously prosperous since the first settlement. A truly deep study of the mechanisms of economic growth, it is a top-rate contribution to its field and will become the standard work on Australian economic history."--Eric Jones, professor emeritus, La Trobe University

"[T]he first major economic history of Australia for 40 years."---Ross Gittins, Sydney Morning Herald

"[R]emarkable. . . . Why Australia Prospered distills decades of research and teaching to present an account of Australia and its development that is solid, surprising and pertinent to the contemporary debate about the country's future. . . . In his assembly of evidence and his judicious review of the debates of Australian development, McLean has made a profoundly important contribution to our understanding of where Australia has come from as a nation, where they country is now--and where it is going."--Australian Financial Review

"In Why Australia Prospered, Ian McLean explores the fascinating mix of factors explaining this persistence of prosperity. . . . [A] carefully researched book."--Times Higher Education Supplement

"McLean provides a comprehensive account of the factors contributing to Australia's remarkable economic growth."--Choice

"In this impressive book McLean demonstrates the contribution economic history can make to scholarship on the past and the politics of the present. . . . [T]he work of a manifestly fine scholar with many important points to make and ideas that need to be heard far beyond university economics departments, or what's left of them."---Stephen Matchett, Australian

"[A]n outstanding piece of scholarship. . . . Ian McLean has written a timely and masterful account of the long sweep of Australia's economic history, which will be relished by anyone interested in the unique circumstances of this country's remarkable economic development. Written for the non-specialist, the narrative is accessible, brisk and appropriately, if sparsely, illustrated with charts and tables."---Ian Harper, EH.Net

"[T]his is a superb book. Anyone with even a superficial interest in Australian economic history should read it, and be educated by it."---Tim Hatton, Australian Economic History Review

"McLean has an admirable ability to sum up complex issues using simple, often elegant sentences. He is a highly skilled tradesperson who uses economists' tools, but this does not compromise the readability of his text. Why Australia Prospered deserves a wide audience. It would be a suitable text for undergraduate use, while giving postgraduate students and established scholars plenty to think about."---Lionel Frost, Australian Historical Studies

About the Author:

Ian W. McLean is currently a visiting research fellow in economics at the University of Adelaide, where he taught for many years. He is the coeditor of The Australian Economy in the Long Run.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0691154678
• ISBN 13: 9780691154671
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304