Development Centre Studies The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Angus Maddison provides a comprehensive view of the growth and levels of world population since the year 1000. In this period, world population rose 22- fold, per capita GDP 13 fold and world GDP nearly 300 fold. The biggest gains occurred in the rich countries of today (Western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan). The gap between the world leader - the United States - and the poorest region - Africa - is now 20:1. In the year 1000, the rich countries of today were poorer than Asia and Africa. The book has several objectives. The first is a pioneering effort to quantify the economic performance of nations over the very long term. The second is to identify the forces which explain the success of the rich countries, and explore the obstacles which hindered advance in regions which lagged behind. The third is to scrutinise the interaction between the rich and the rest to assess the degree to which this relationship was exploitative. The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective is a "must" for all scholars of economics and economic history, while the casual reader will find much of fascinating interest. It is also a monumental work of reference. The book is a sequel to the author's Monitoring the World Economy: 1820 -1992, published by the OECD Development Centre in 1995, and his 1998 Chinese Economic Performance in the Long Run, also published by the OECD. "A tour de force. What a wonderful gift for the new century." Robert Mundell, Nobel Prize winner and Professor of Economics, Columbia University. "An essential reference for anyone interested in global development for many years to come." Paul Krugman, Professor of Economics, Princeton University. "Quite simply a dazzling essay." Nicholas Eberstadt, American Enterprise Institute. "Highly recommended . . . refreshing and full of historical information. An important book." Kisanhani F. Emizet, Kanzas University, writing in International Politics. A Winner of the 2001 Awards for Notable Government Documents conferred by the American Library Association/Library Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: Org. for Economic Cooperation & Development (June 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9264186085
• ISBN-13: 978-9264186088
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,148,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good book, February 18, 2002

By	Bon Vivant (Seoul Korea, Republic of) - See all my reviews

This book is seemingly a culmination of the painstaking works taken by Angus Maddison for decades. As I liked his previous works such as the Phases of Capitalist Development, so I like this book very much. Of course, the book contains many 'guesstimations' that are unacceptable to today's economists' rigor. This is more so when the author ventures into almost two millenia before 1820, for which he did relatively little work previously. But even here the book apparently provides reasonable figures synthesizing existing evidences with a lucid interpretation, providing illuminating starting points for future studies.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best and the brightest on Historical Statistics (I), July 21, 2007

By	César González Rouco (Madrid, Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective (Oecd Development Centre Studies) (Hardcover)

In the last few years I have been searching books offering a general overview of the past, and I have realized that many books entitled "History of ...whatever" only provide information about the West, the rest of the world being almost ignored.

Maddison's on world economy is different, it is truly global. It offers historical statistics of the last two thousand years and is to be read together with "The world economy: Historical Statistics " (a combined edition of both volumes is to be published on December 2007). In my opinion this is masterful work that can be savored by the professional historian and educated layperson alike, so my rate is between 5 (content) and 4 (pleasure, sometimes falling to 3, sometimes raising to 5). I highly recommend the two volumes.

Other works whose scope is as amazingly global as Maddison's and which I would suggest reading (hoping that will be of use for those looking for a broad framework to understand ourselves) are the following: 1. Agrarian cultures: "Pre-industrial societies" by Patricia Crone; 2. Government: "The History of Government" by S.E. Finer; 3. Ideas: "Ideas, a History from Fire to Freud", by Peter Watson; 4. Religion: "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach" by Moojan Momen; and 5. War: "War in Human Civilization" by Azar Gat.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, July 8, 2003

By	Michael J. Warby "lorenzo" (Kingsville, VIC Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Attempting to put numbers on past economic activity is a deeply fraught exercise, as the author freely admits.

That being said, this is a book full of useful information and striking estimates. I know of no better place to get a genuine feel for the economic history of the last millennia, but particularly the last two centuries. There is something to startle or surprise anyone within these pages. A necessary edition to the library of anyone seriously interested in history.