History matters : essays on economic growth, technology, and demographic change / edited by Timothy W. Guinnane, William A. Sundstrom, and Warren Whatley.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Guinnane, Timothy.

Sundstrom, William Andrew.

Whatley, Warren C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic history--Congresses.

Economic history.

Economic history--Methodology--Congresses.

Economic development--Congresses.

Economic development.

Technological innovations--Economic aspects--Congresses.

Technological innovations.

Population--Economic aspects--Congresses.

Population.

Physical Description:

xiv, 510 p. : ill., maps.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, c2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Front matter

CONTENTS

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

PREFACE

EDITORS' INTRODUCTION

PART I. WHY HISTORY MATTERS: PATH DEPENDENCE AND ECONOMIC THOUGHT

1. PATH DEPENDENCE AND COMPETITIVE EQUILIBRIUM

2. PATH DEPENDENCE AND RESWITCHING IN A MODEL OF MULTl-TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

3. PATH DEPENDENCE, NETWORK FORM, AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

4. THE TENSION BETWEEN STRONG HISTORY AND STRONG ECONOMICS

PART II. PATH DEPENDENCE IN PRACTICE

5. FINANCIAL HISTORY AND THE LONG REACH OF THE SECOND THIRTY-YEARS' WAR

6. PATH DEPENDENCE IN ACTION: THE ADOPTION AND PERSISTENCE OF THE KOREAN MODEL OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

7. CONTINUING CONFUSION: ENTRY PRICES IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS

8. AFTER THE WAR BOOM: RECONVERSION ON THE PACIFIC COAST, 1943-1949

9. STANDARDIZATION, DIVERSITY, AND LEARNING IN CHINA'S NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM

PART III. CONTEXT MATTERS: THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE, GEOGRAPHY, AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS ON ECONOMIES AND POLICIES

10. INCENTIVES, INFORMATION, AND WELFARE: ENGLAND'S NEW POOR LAW AND THE WORKHOUSE TEST

11. FAMILY MATTERS: THE LIFE-CYCLE TRANSITION AND THE ANTEBELLUM AMERICAN FERTILITY DECLINE

12. BUILDING "UNIVERSAL SERVICE" IN THE EARLY BELL SYSTEM: THE COEVOLUTION OF REGIONAL URBAN SYSTEMS AND LONGDISTANCE TELEPHONE NETWORKS

13. INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS: DOES NATIONAL OWNERSHIP MATTER?

PART IV. EVIDENCE MATTERS: MEASURING HISTORICAL ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE

14. CONJECTURAL ESTIMATES OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE LOWER SOUTH, 1720 TO 1800

15. THE VALUE-ADDED APPROACH TO THE MEASUREMENT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH

16. A USER'S GUIDE TO THE JOYS AND PITFALLS OF COHORT PARITY ANALYSIS

17. STOCHASTIC DYNAMIC OPTIMIZATION MODELS WITH RANDOM EFFECTS IN PARAMETERS: AN APPLICATION TO AGE AT MARRIAGE AND LIFE -CYCLE FERTILITY CONTROL IN FRANCE UNDER THE OLD REGIME

NOTES AND REFERENCES

Notes:

"The essays collected in this volume were, with two exceptions, presented at a conference in honor of Professor Paul A. David, held at Stanford University on June 2-3, 2000. The conference was sponsored by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)"-- p. [xiii].

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9780804766937

0804766932

9781417519392

1417519398

OCLC:

923699708