The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History

Description

The Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History aims to introduce readers to important approaches and findings of economic historians who study the modern world. Its short chapters reflect the most up-to-date research and are written by well-known economic historians who are authorities on their subjects. Modern economic history blends two approaches – Cliometrics (which focuses on measuring economic variables and explicitly testing theories about the historical performance and development of the economy) and the New Institutional Economics (which focuses on how social, cultural, legal and organizational norms and rules shape economic outcomes and their evolution). Part 1 of the Handbook introduces these approaches and other important methodological issues for economic history. The most fundamental shift in the economic history of the world began about two and a half centuries ago when eons of slow economic change and faltering economic growth gave way to sustained, rapid economic expansion. Part 2 examines this theme and the primary forces economic historians have linked to economic growth, stagnation and fluctuations – including technological change, entrepreneurship, competition, the biological environment, war, financial panics and business cycles. Part 3 examines the evolution of broad sectors that typify a modern economy including agriculture, banking, transportation, health care, housing, and entertainment. It begins by examining an equally important "sector" of the economy which scholars have increasingly analyzed using economic tools – religion.  Part 4 focuses on the work force and human outcomes including inequality, labor markets, unions, education, immigration, slavery, urbanization, and the evolving economic roles of women and African-Americans. The text will be of great value to those taking economic history courses as well as a reference book useful to professional practitioners, policy makers and the public. Front Cover Routledge Handbook of Modern Economic History Copyright Page Contents List of figures List of tables Notes on contributors Preface Part I:The methods of modern economic history 1. Economic history and cliometrics: Louis P. Cain and Robert Whaples 2.The New Institutional Economics and economic history: Tomas Nonnenmacher 3. Measuring economic growth and the standard of living: Lee A. Craig 4. Anthropometric history: heights, weights, and economic conditions: Scott Alan Carson Part II:Influences on economic growth and stagnation 5. The causes of economic growth: Robert A. Margo 6. Economic history of technological change: B. Zorina Khan 7. Economic history and entrepreneurship: Robert Whaples 8. Economic history and competition policy: Werner Troesken 9. The evolutionary roots of economic history: Philip R.P. Coelho 10. The economic history of war and defense: Jari Eloranta 11. Business cycles: Christopher Hanes 12. The economic history of financial panics: Andrew Jalil Part III:Individual economic sectors 13. Economic history and religion: John E. Murray 14. The economic history of agriculture: Giovanni Federico 15. The economic history of transportation: Dan Bogart 16. Economic history and the healthcare industry: Melissa Thomasson 17. The economic history of banking: Richard S. Grossman 18. The economic history of entertainment and sports: Michael Haupert Part IV: The work force and human outcomes 19. Inequality in economic history: Thomas N. Maloney and Nathaniel Cline 20. The evolution of labor markets: Michael Huberman 21. Labor unions and economic history: Gerald Friedman 22. The economic history of education: David Mitch 23. The economic history of immigration: Raymond L. Cohn 24. The economic history of slavery: Jenny Bourne 25. The economic history of urbanization: Fred Smith 26. The changing economic roles of women: Joyce Burnette 27. African-Americans in the U.S. economy since emancipation: William A. Sundstrom Index