How the West Grew Rich

How did the WestEurope Canada and the United Statesescape from immemorial poverty into sustained economic growth and material well-being when other societies remained trapped in an endless cycle of birth hunger hardship and death? In this elegant synthesis of economic history two scholars argue that it is the political pluralism and the flexibility of the Wests institutionsnot corporate organization and mass production technologythat explain its unparalleled wealth.