“Clark's idea-rich book may just prove to be the next blockbuster in economics. He offers us a daring story of the economic foundations of good institutions and the climb out of recurring poverty. We may not have cracked the mystery of human progress, but A FAREWELL TO ALMS brings us closer than before.”

― Tyler Cowen, New York Times

 

“Mr. Clark...has produced a well written and thought-provoking thesis, refreshingly light on jargon and equations. It could well be the subject of debate for years to come.”

― The Economist

 

“[A]ny book that is as bold, as fascinating, as conscientiously argued and as politically incorrect as this one demands to be read.”

― Clive Crook, Financial Times

 

“Clark’s is about as stimulating an account of world economic history as one is likely to find.”

― Benjamin M. Friedman, New York Times Book Review

 

“[O]ne of the most fascinating, and the most disturbing, historical works I have read…[T]his is economic history as you never read it before.”

― A.N. Wilson, Daily Telegraph

 

 

 

 

How is it that after the Industrial Revolution in 1800 that some people now have worse living conditions than cavemen?  Why did the Industrial Revolution happen on the tiny island of England and not in some other resource-rich part of the world?  Why didn’t industrialization make the whole world rich—and why did it make large parts of the world even poorer?  

 

In Gregory Clark’s penetrating and controversial new book A FAREWELL TO ALMS: A Brief Economic History of the World, he argues that culture—not geography, economy, or exploitation—allowed the Industrial Revolution to occur in England.  A slowly growing population, the necessary 

 

 

 

 

 

institutions, and a stable government and economy—which led to deep cultural changes—allowed the roots of industrialization to grow here and in the West.  People were forced to abandon the hunter-gatherer instincts—violence, impatience, and economy of effort—and instead adopt economic habits—hard work, education, and rationality.

 

Shortly after the Industrial Revolution societies began to migrate in different directions—some countries grew richer while others became poorer.  The Industrial Revolution was able to reduce inequalities within societies, it has increased the inequalities between societies, which is known as The Great Divergence.  And the Great Divergence is where we are left today, with some countries awash in wealth and others simply scraping to survive.  

 

“Clark's ferociously systematic expounding of an alternative to the institutional explanation does...provide many delightful insights, large and small, along the way. Some of the observations in this very well-written book do make for nice dinner party anecdotes.”

― Harold James, The American Interest

 

 

“Comes now Gregory Clark, an economist who interestingly takes the side of culture. In an important new book, A FAREWELL TO ALMS, Clark suggests that much of the world's remaining poverty is semi-permanent. Modern technology and management are widely available, but many societies can't take advantage because their values and social organization are antagonistic. Prescribing economically sensible policies (open markets, secure property rights, sound money) can't overcome this bedrock resistance.”

―Robert Samuelson, The Washington Post

 

 

 

About the Author:

Gregory Clark is chair of the economics department at the University of California, Davis. He has written widely about economic history.

 

 

 

A FAREWELL TO ALMS

A Brief Economic History of the World

Gregory Clark 

 

Paper $18.95 / £11.50 | ISBN: 978-0-691-14128-2

420 pp. | 6 x 9 | 25 halftones, 78 line illustrations, 65 tables

Publication Date: February 11, 2009

 

 

 

www.press.princeton.edu