---
product_id: 4089388
title: "Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction"
price: "€ 23.98"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/4089388-global-economic-history-a-very-short-introduction
store_origin: PT
region: Portugal
---

# Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction

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Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction: 8601300148366: Economics Books @ desertcart.com

Review: Well written and relevant to today's political solutions - The author writes with a style where he consistently gets to the point with compelling facts and commentary. I found this book to cause me to reflect on what the US (or any country) needs to focus on to thrive, as well as to further increase my appreciation for the decisions made by our country's leaders over its first 100 plus years. While we have gotten a lot wrong, and still do, we got a lot right. If we focus on what we did right, we should be able to convince ourselves to do more of the same in the future. One example is education, how our approach to universal education gave us so many advantages. This book also gives one a sense of how lucky we were in many ways with inherent advantages one could argue we squandered. My thoughts are that one reason we are where we are today is that our founders were far more intellectual and influenced by great thinkers of the day (e.g. Scottish Enlightenment), whereas today we are simplistic, closed minded, and afraid to be bold with new approaches. Seems like we will have to go down further before we wake up and begin to dialogue as was done in the past. If we don't, my fear is whole generations will come out cynical and poorly prepared for the new world. This book seems to have answers to create an environment where future generations can develop the skills needed to thrive and compete with other countries, or even other generations who were given a head start. In sum, I found this to be one of the more enjoyable and enlightening reads.
Review: A very good first read on global economic history - This is just what the title says, a very short introduction. The author clearly has a point of view that he argues in favor of, and his arguments appear convincing, although sometimes one suspects that there may be much more to the story, and some important questions are left open, as pointed out by Ronan "Connecticut Guy". On balance, though, for a short book discussing wide ranging topics, the author does a very good job. I had never before read a book on global economic history, and I feel it was well worth reading this one, and that I learned a lot from it.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #928,394 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #102 in International Economics (Books) #249 in Economic History (Books) #418 in Macroeconomics (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (419) |
| Dimensions  | 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches |
| Edition  | 1st |
| ISBN-10  | 0199596654 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0199596652 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Part of series  | Very Short Introductions |
| Print length  | 170 pages |
| Publication date  | November 15, 2011 |
| Publisher  | Oxford University Press |

## Images

![Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81sepWhszvL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well written and relevant to today's political solutions
*by G***N on August 25, 2012*

The author writes with a style where he consistently gets to the point with compelling facts and commentary. I found this book to cause me to reflect on what the US (or any country) needs to focus on to thrive, as well as to further increase my appreciation for the decisions made by our country's leaders over its first 100 plus years. While we have gotten a lot wrong, and still do, we got a lot right. If we focus on what we did right, we should be able to convince ourselves to do more of the same in the future. One example is education, how our approach to universal education gave us so many advantages. This book also gives one a sense of how lucky we were in many ways with inherent advantages one could argue we squandered. My thoughts are that one reason we are where we are today is that our founders were far more intellectual and influenced by great thinkers of the day (e.g. Scottish Enlightenment), whereas today we are simplistic, closed minded, and afraid to be bold with new approaches. Seems like we will have to go down further before we wake up and begin to dialogue as was done in the past. If we don't, my fear is whole generations will come out cynical and poorly prepared for the new world. This book seems to have answers to create an environment where future generations can develop the skills needed to thrive and compete with other countries, or even other generations who were given a head start. In sum, I found this to be one of the more enjoyable and enlightening reads.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A very good first read on global economic history
*by H***C on September 30, 2014*

This is just what the title says, a very short introduction. The author clearly has a point of view that he argues in favor of, and his arguments appear convincing, although sometimes one suspects that there may be much more to the story, and some important questions are left open, as pointed out by Ronan "Connecticut Guy". On balance, though, for a short book discussing wide ranging topics, the author does a very good job. I had never before read a book on global economic history, and I feel it was well worth reading this one, and that I learned a lot from it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ To the Point History with Good Explanations of Possible Reasons for the Current Economic Situation
*by K***. on September 12, 2018*

Very interesting book. At least, if you like reading about how countries industrialized, and the theories on how to effectively do so. Allen does a good job of explaining a rather convincing theory that high wages drove investments in high-capital labor saving devices/methods, which forms a positive feedback cycle, as the high-capital devices allow wages to increase, and so higher-capital devices can be introduced economically. He also gives good accounts of other theories of how economic history such as staples (use a "staple" product to grow by exporting it), and industrial planning. He tackles every area of the world and pretty much every time from 1500 (mostly focusing on Europe for the early times). Japan, Russia, Korea, Taiwan, and China get special mentions for accomplishing the catch-up of GDP/capita with Western Europe, with some thoughts on how and why. Overall, just an interesting viewpoint as to how the world has gotten where we gotten. Allen does a good job of pointing out problems with theories and also accepting that no simple explanation will probably due. He ends with "The best policy to effect economic development, therefore, remains very much in dispute," which I think is a fitting ending for an area with so many uncertainties.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction
- Microeconomics: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
- Banking: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

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*Last updated: 2026-01-30*