"Wealth and Poverty of Nations"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses some of the reasons that influenced Europe's rise to power over the centuries. It specifically discusses David Landes' arguments regarding the combination of environment and culture and their importance, as he discusses in his books, "Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor" and "he Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe From 1750 to the Present."

From the Paper:

"Continued growth is dependant on the establishment of a number of different factors including the creation of social and political institutions as security of property; rights of contract and of personal liberty that included social and geographic mobility; and a stable, responsive, honest, and relatively efficient government. Landes recognizes that this is an ideal that no society has ever met, but argues that to a certain degree such characteristics and therefore the resulting institutions have promoted economic and social progress, while their significant absence has acted as a barrier to the continued process of economic growth and extended well being."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Landes, David. The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe From 1750 to the Present, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1969.
• Landes, Davis. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor, Boston: Little Brown, 1999.

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• Book Review # 93534 : "Wealth and Poverty of Nations"
• Book Review # 117718 : "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations"

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