Summary of Joel Mokyr's A Culture of Growth

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The world today is richer than it has ever been. We know a lot about the economic transformations that made it this way, thanks to a vast literature that examines every possible aspect of modern economic growth since ca. 1800. But why did this happen.

#2 The Industrial Revolution, which began in the nineteenth century, transformed the economies of much of Europe and the European offshoots. It began to spread to Japan and other non-Western economies.

#3 The Great Divergence between Europe and the rest of the world has been difficult to explain. The Industrial Revolution, in the sense of an acceleration of technological progress, did not seem to be a response to any obvious institutional stimulus.

#4 The second riddle is related to the first, but looks at the problem from a different, more economic, point of view. The issue of the exact role of science in the Industrial Revolution is still debated, but there can be no doubt that as growth accelerated, the input from science increased and became the dominant motive power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822549067

IRB Media

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Insights on Joel Mokyr's A Culture of Growth

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The world today is richer than it has ever been. We know a lot about the economic transformations that made it this way, thanks to a vast literature that examines every possible aspect of modern economic growth since ca. 1800. But why did this happen.

#2

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the nineteenth century, transformed the economies of much of Europe and the European offshoots. It began to spread to Japan and other non-Western economies.

#3

The Great Divergence between Europe and the rest of the world has been difficult to explain. The Industrial Revolution, in the sense of an acceleration of technological progress, did not seem to be a response to any obvious institutional stimulus.

#4

The second riddle is related to the first, but looks at the problem from a different, more economic, point of view. The issue of the exact role of science in the Industrial Revolution is still debated, but there can be no doubt that as growth accelerated, the input from science increased and became the dominant motive power.

#5

The distinction between the types of phenomena associated with institutions and the importance of process and product innovation fed by growing human knowledge of natural forces is exemplified by the Jewish tradition’s distinction between affairs that concern relations between the individual and others, and those between the individual and makom, or the deity.

#6

The drivers of technological progress and economic performance were attitude and aptitude. The former set the willingness and energy with which people try to understand the natural world around them, while the latter determined their success in turning such knowledge into higher productivity and living standards.

#7

The definition of culture is that it is a set of beliefs, values, and norms that are shared by many people in a given society. It is acquired through social learning, and it is not built-up from scratch for each individual but is acquired from others.

#8

The relationship between culture and institutions is complex. They coevolve like a species and its environment, and it is difficult to say which came first. Good institutions may support a culture that enforces them, while bad institutions may reinforce a culture that perpetuates them.

#9

The connection between culture and institutions is tenuous at first glance. While culture helps determine what kinds of institutions emerge, it does not guarantee outcomes.

#10

culture is shared, but individuals will usually differ in some ways from one another in what they precisely believe. These differences are not like genes, which are immutable for life. They are a matter of choice.

#11

The importance of culture for economic growth is evident in the work done by theorists and applied economists. The economic importance of culture is reflected in the work done by scholars of cultural anthropology and population dynamics.

#12

The attitude towards Nature and the