An Economic Inquiry into the Nonlinear Behaviors of Nations

Dynamic Developments and the Origins of Civilizations
1. Auflage 2017
ISBN: 978-3-319-48771-7
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 294 Seiten, HC runder Rücken kaschiert, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 5056 g

This book applies an economic approach to examine the driving forces behind the dynamic behaviors of developing nations. Taking into account initial conditions and environmental and external factors often oversimplified by historians and anthropologists, Guo finds that the rise and fall of civilizations and nations followed an anti-Darwinian process: physical weakness, rather than strength, induced humans to adapt. Cultures facing unfavorable physical and environmental conditions developed complex societies to overcome these challenges, while favorable conditions did not incentivize major economic and cultural change. Over centuries of economic growth and development, nations and civilizations’ adaptive behaviors have followed a cyclical path at both the country level and in an international context. This interdisciplinary book incorporates elements of history, anthropology, and development into an astute economic analysis that changes the way we think about the origins and evolutions of civilizations.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Guo, Rongxing

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein Makroökonomie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wirtschaftsgeschichte
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. IntroductionPART I: THE PARADOXES OF HUMANS, CIVILIZATIONS, AND NATIONS2. Culture as an Anti-Darwinian Process3. Good Environment, Bad Environment4. Living in the Lands Threatened5. Are there any Optimal Strategies for Nations?PART II: CULTURAL CYCLICITY AND THE NONLINEAR BEHAVIORS OF NATIONS6. Civilization as a Cyclical Human Process7. China: Short Cycles, Long Cycles8. The Western World: A Longer Cycle9. In Cycles We Trust

Über Autor(innen)

Rongxing Guo is Professor and Head of the Regional Economics Committee in the Regional Science Association of China at Peking University in Beijing, China. He has 30 years of experience teaching and researching in China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Germany, and the USA. He has led research projects for the OECD and the World Bank, and has undertaken consultation for the Chinese government.