The Great Divergence Reconsidered
Europe, India, and the Rise to Global Economic Power

Studer shows that institutional, geographical, political, and technological factors account for Europe's rise to undisputed world economic leader.

Roman Studer (Author)

9781107679979, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 June 2017

243 pages, 30 b/w illus. 10 maps 9 tables
23 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.36 kg

'By foregrounding market integration and the costs of trade, The Great Divergence Reconsidered makes a case for a radical shift in the discourse on the origins of international economic inequality. The sophistication of Roman Studer's arguments and the quality of his statistical analysis make that case compelling. This is undoubtedly a major work.' Tirthankar Roy, London School of Economics and Political Science

In stark contrast to popular narratives, The Great Divergence Reconsidered shows that Europe's rise to an undisputed world economic leader was not the effect of the Industrial Revolution, and cannot be explained by coal or colonial exploitation. Using a wealth of new historical evidence stretching from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, Roman Studer shows that this 'Great Divergence' must be shifted back to the seventeenth century, if not earlier. Europe was characterized by a more powerful transportation system, bigger trade flows, larger and better integrated markets, higher productivity levels, and superior living standards even before the Industrial Revolution brought about far-reaching structural changes and made Europe's supremacy even more pronounced. While the comparison with Europe draws significantly on India, the central conclusions seem to hold for Asia - and indeed the rest of the world - more generally. An interplay of various factors best explains Europe's early and gradual rise, including better institutions, favorable geographical features, increasing political stability, and increasingly rapid advances in science and technology.

1. Introduction
2. Determinants of market integration
3. Gauging the level of market integration
4. Geography and the story of the many Europes
5. Markets versus climate in Europe and India
6. Economic integration in India and Europe
7. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Development economics & emerging economies [KCM], Economics of industrial organisation [KCD], Economics [KC], Asian history [HBJF], European history [HBJD]