Contours of The World Economy
By Angus Maddison (2007)
The late Angus Maddison was a distinguished British academic specialising in economic history over the very long term and across all the World. His book ‘The Contours of the World Economy’ presents an overview of the last 2,000 years of human history through the lens of population and incomes.
The book uses Maddison’s life work to frame the changes of long run regional GDP in the context of culture, politics, and technology. He takes the reader back to Ancient Rome, through Western colonialism, and across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Before projecting the shape of things to come with respect to the greatest challenges of the 21st Century.
Maddison’s book provides a quantifiable insight into history and the progress of humanity. It’s not a light read, with a lot of numbers and technical detail, but well worth making the effort.
Maddison’s data catalogue can be found here.
*Book cover credit: The Hongs at Cantoon,c 1855, by You Qua. Private Collection.
Not a climate change book but an important read for anyone interested in how to objectively evaluate information and make more accurate predictions about the future.