This book analyzes the development of economic cycles in the run of history. The focus is on the development of cycle theory, with maximum emphasis upon ideas. Chapter 1 delivers an overview of the debate about cycles before the 1970s. Chapter 2 completes this survey by presenting the main empirical investigations since that time. Finally, Chapters 3 and 4 illustrate the discourse, by presenting, in the tradition of Burns and Mitchell, original case studies on France, South Africa, and Germany.
This book studies the process of demographic transition which has played a key role in the economic development of Western countries. The special focus is on France, which constitutes the first clear case of fertility decline in Europe. The book analyzes the reasons behind this phenomenon by examining the evolution of demographic variables in France over the past two hundred years. To better understand the reasons of the changing patterns of demographic behavior, the authors investigate the development of the female labor force, study educational investments, and explore the evolution of gender roles and relations.
This book presents a comprehensive study of adoption and diffusion of technology in developing countries in a historical perspective. Combining the development of growth trajectories of the Indian economy in general and its manufacturing industry in particular, the book highlights the effective marriage between qualitative and quantitative methods for a better understanding and explaining of many hidden dynamic behaviors of adoption and diffusion trend in manufacturing industry. The use of various econometric methods is aimed to equip readers to make a judgement of the current state of diffusion pattern of new technologies in India and simulate a desirable future pattern in view of the various pro-industrial growth policies.
Human capital is of utmost importance for the future of our knowledge economies and societies. However, it is unequally distributed in Europe, contributing to marked spatial patterns of economic prosperity within and across countries. In many cases, these patterns have a long history. To understand them better, it requires to go back in time, when mass schooling was starting to become a reality across Europe. Taking a long-run perspective over more than 150 years, this book shows the development and the distribution of human capital in the regions of Europe and its connections with the economy. It provides insights into recent research findings in this area, including theoretical advances and the use of new empirical data.
