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On explaining why the (human) world is rich

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  • Wilson, Bart J.

Abstract

The wealth of the modern world is a natural historical marvel. Explaining it has traditionally been the purview of economic historians, as exemplified by the recent book How the World Became Rich by Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin. Economic historians, though, tend to only ask process-oriented “how” and “by what means” questions of the Great Enrichment. The eight co-authors of Explaining Technology, who are not economic historians, engage the debate asking a different question. Their goal is to explain the exponential shape of our enrichment with a model of the combinatorial evolution of technology. With an eye toward how we ask questions of the Great Enrichment, I propose broadening our inquiries to include questions typically overlooked in modern economic science, namely, “What form does it take? and “For what purpose?”

Suggested Citation

  • Wilson, Bart J., 2025. "On explaining why the (human) world is rich," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:174:y:2025:i:c:s0014292125000194
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2025.104969
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Koppl,Roger & Gatti,Roberto Cazzolla & Devereaux,Abigail & Fath,Brian D. & Herriot,James & Hordijk,Wim, 2023. "Explaining Technology," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781009386258, Enero-Abr.
    2. Roger E. Backhouse & Steve G. Medema, 2009. "Defining Economics: The Long Road to Acceptance of the Robbins Definition," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 76(s1), pages 805-820, October.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic growth; World GDP; Industrial revolution; Technological progress;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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