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The cover of The Enlightened Economy

The Enlightened Economy

Joel Mokyr

Did what people knew and believed, and not only markets and geography, help start modern economic growth in Britain?

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At a glance

Author: Joel Mokyr

Why read it

You will question the common economists' view that beliefs simply follow material interests
You will see how the Enlightenment changed institutions and the way income was shared out, not only technology
You will understand why the technological revolution of the modern age cannot be explained without its intellectual roots

Who it is for

An economics student doubting that only incentives matter
A history reader asking why industry took off in Britain
A policy maker thinking about ideas, institutions and growth

Contents

INTRODUCTION: Ideology, Knowledge, and Institutions in Economic Change
The Enlightened Economy
CHAPTER 1: The British Economy in 1700
CHAPTER 2: Enlightenment and Economy
CHAPTER 3: Useful Knowledge and Technology
CHAPTER 4: An Enlightened Political Economy
CHAPTER 5: Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution
CHAPTER 6: The Origins of British Technological Leadership
CHAPTER 7: Technological Change in the Industrial Revolution
CHAPTER 8: Britain and the World: An Open Economy
CHAPTER 9: Agriculture in the Age of Enlightenment
CHAPTER 10: The Service Sectors: Commerce and Transport
CHAPTER 11: The Service Sectors: Finance and Personal Services
CHAPTER 12: Progress and Productivity
CHAPTER 13: Demographic Transformation in the Age of Enlightenment
CHAPTER 14: Gender and Family in an Enlightened Economy
CHAPTER 15: Factories and Firms in an Age of Technological Progress
CHAPTER 16: Social Norms and a Civil Economy
CHAPTER 17: Formal Institutions: The State and the Economy
CHAPTER 18: Living Standards and Inequality
CHAPTER 19: The Results: The British Economy in 1851

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