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Economics » Economic History

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David S Landes
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The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

by David S Landes

The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (1998) was written by Harvard economics and history professor David Landes (1924-2013). An unlikely bestseller that took on Adam Smith’s key question—why some nations are rich and others poor—it’s also a great read. See what our experts have said about this book and why it’s so important below:

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“Another huge historical sweep on economic development and, perhaps controversially, this time more a view of why the West has been particularly successful and other countries have not.” Read more...

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“The Wealth And Poverty of Nations is one of several really fantastic economic history books of recent times.” Read more...

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“He provides an explanation for why Western Europe was the cradle for modern economic growth and looks at the development of the institutions that made modern economic development possible.” Read more...

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