ECON 126 Why Economies Succeed or Fail: Lessons from Western and Japanese History

Examines the emergence of capitalism and the world's first industrial revolution in Britain, continental Europe industrialization, Soviet economic growth and collapse, and the Japanese economic miracle. Asks about the historical sources of long-run economic development, stagnation, and decline. Draws lessons for current debates over free market versus more interventionist policies, economic reform in the former Communist nations, and economic rivalry between the U.S. and Japan.