Why are some countries rich and others poor? In 1500, the income differences were small, but they have grown dramatically since Columbus reached America. Since then, the interplay between geography, globalization, technological change, and economic policy has determined the wealth and poverty of nations. The industrial revolution was Britain's path breaking response to the challenge of globalization. Western Europe and North America joined Britain to form a club of rich nations by pursuing four polices-creating a national market by abolishing internal tariffs and investing in transportation, erecting an external tariff to protect their fledgling industries from British competition, banks to stabilize the currency and mobilize domestic savings for investment, and mass education to prepare people for industrial work. Together these countries pioneered new technologies that have made them ever richer. Before the Industrial Revolution, most of the world's manufacturing was done in Asia, but industries from Casablanca to Canton were destroyed by western competition in the nineteenth century, and Asia was transformed into 'underdeveloped countries' specializing in agriculture. The spread of economic development has been slow since modern technology was invented to fit the needs of rich countries and is ill adapted to the economic and geographical conditions of poor countries. A few countries - Japan, Soviet Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, and perhaps China - have, nonetheless, caught up with the West through creative responses to the technological challenge and with Big Push industrialization that has achieved rapid growth through investment coordination. Whether other countries can emulate the success of East Asia is a challenge for the future.

作者 罗伯特•C.艾伦

牛津大学经济史教授，英国社会科学院院士。致力于经济史、技术革新和公共管理策略等方面的研究。著有《近代英国工业革命揭秘：放眼全球的深度透视》等。

序言作者 萧国亮

经济学博士，北京大学经济学院教授，博士生导师，北京大学工学院教授，博士生导师，北京大学社会经济史研究所名誉所长。兼任国家清史编纂委员会典志组副组长，清华大学华商研究所学术委员。自1980年以来，出版专著十部，发表论文一百余篇。主要著作有《皇权与中国社会经济》、《独特的“食货”之路——中国社会经济史研究》、《世界经济史》、《中华人民共和国经济史》、《家庭金融知识大全》等。