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Structure and Change in Economic History by…
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Structure and Change in Economic History (edition 1982)

by Douglass C. North (Author)

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1701159,357 (3.75)None
At the core of Professor North's investigation is the question of property rights, the arrangements individuals and groups have made through history to deal with the fundamental economic problem of scarce resources.In six theoretical chapters, Professor North examines the structure of economic systems, outlines an economic theory of the state and the ideologies that undergird various modes of economic organization, and then explores the dynamic forces such as new technologies that cause institutions to adapt in order to survive. With this analytical framework in place, major phases in Western history come under careful reappraisal, from the origins of agriculture and the neolithic revolution through the political economy of the ancient and medieval worlds to the industrial revolution and the economic transformations of the twentieth century.Structure and Change in Economic History is a work that will reshape many established explanations of the growth of the west.… (more)
Member:joshua.howard
Title:Structure and Change in Economic History
Authors:Douglass C. North (Author)
Info:W. W. Norton & Company (1982), Edition: unknown, 240 pages
Collections:Your library
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Tags:3.1 Social Evolution, 3.1.3 Economic History, ??

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Structure and Change in Economic History by Douglass C. North

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This book is a bit uneven. I got the impression that at least some of the chapters had originally been written as separate pieces because the general argument seemed to lose traction every now and then. The author begins by presenting an economic theory of history which is amusingly myopic at times. For instance, he suggests that state's legal systems have two objectives, to provide a structure of property rights and to "foster maximum output" (p.24). I doubt if the latter can really be a legal objective. I can also easily think of ten additional objectives for legal systems. Furthermore, I disliked the author's crude classification of all non-economic phenomena under the nondescript label "ideology". His theory of history certainly exhibits all the limitations of economic thought even more early than its strengths.

But taken with a grain of salt it still provides some useful insights in the ensuing historical chapters. The ones on bronze age states, Greeks, Romans and feudalism seem to extend a bit beyond the author's expertise. He clearly comes into his own when he discusses the industrial revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. These are the best chapters and the ones where his theoretical model is most useful. Overall I admire the author's broad perspective and I'm sure he was aware of the partial nature of economic explanations in world history. I would recommend this book particularly to readers interested in the European industrial revolution with a little bit of background in economics.
1 vote thcson | Jun 2, 2014 |
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At the core of Professor North's investigation is the question of property rights, the arrangements individuals and groups have made through history to deal with the fundamental economic problem of scarce resources.In six theoretical chapters, Professor North examines the structure of economic systems, outlines an economic theory of the state and the ideologies that undergird various modes of economic organization, and then explores the dynamic forces such as new technologies that cause institutions to adapt in order to survive. With this analytical framework in place, major phases in Western history come under careful reappraisal, from the origins of agriculture and the neolithic revolution through the political economy of the ancient and medieval worlds to the industrial revolution and the economic transformations of the twentieth century.Structure and Change in Economic History is a work that will reshape many established explanations of the growth of the west.

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