This ambitious collection follows the evolution of capitalism from its origins in 13th-century European towns to its 16th-century expansion into Asia, Africa and South America and on to the global capitalism of modern day. Written by distinguished historians and social scientists, the chapters examine capitalism and its critics and the level of variation and convergence in its operation across locations. The authors illuminate the aspects of capitalism that have encouraged, but also limited, social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Covering times, places and topics that have often been overlooked in the existing literature, this important contribution to the field of economic history charts the most comprehensive chronology of capitalism to date.
Author(s): Catherine Casson, Philipp Robinson Rössner
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 275
City: Bristol
Front Cover
Evolutions of Capitalism: Historical Perspectives: 1200–2000
Copyright information
Table of contents
List of Figures and Tables
Notes on Contributors
Acknowledgments
1 Introduction
Definition of capitalism
Five functions relevant to capitalism
Key dates for entrepreneurship
Key dates for finance
Key dates for management
Key dates for workers
Key dates for political leaders
Summary of chronological change
References
2 The Market as an Institution: Theory and History
Introduction
Evolution of the market
Definition of a market
Plan of the chapter
Key concepts in the analysis of markets
Private property
Alienability
Incentives to trade
Money
Comparison
Co-location of transactions
Trust
Intermediation
Markets and innovation
Economic theory of markets
Analysis of market behaviour
Typology of market processes
Retailing and local market competition
A social network approach to retail markets
Locations of towns
Roles of towns: historical evidence
The urban marketplace: topography
Policy intervention: regulation of the market
Objectives
Origins of regulation
Regulation of wholesale trade: role of civic customs
Quality control
Conclusions
References
3 Regulating Capitalism
The scholastic heritage and beyond
Transitions towards capitalism: case study of late medieval Germany and the Reformation, 1470s–1530s
Monetary regulation
Industrial policy
Notes
References
4 Capitalism and State Ownership Models
Introduction
Literature review
Sweden: historical background for ownership model
Norway: historical background for state ownership
Norway falling behind after 1870
State ownership after the Second World War
Liberalization and embracing of the Hydro model
Comparing ownership models of Norway and Sweden
Collaboration between business and Social Democrats
National ownership and control
Active ownership
Monitoring and free-riding
The present standing of the ownership model
Conclusions
Notes
References
5 Comparative and Connected Global Capitalism(s)
Introduction
Capitalism(s) before divergence
Capitalism(s) and the institutions of global trade
Whose capitalism?
Conclusion
References
6 Capitalism, Imperialism and the Emergence of an Industrialized Global Economy
Introduction
Some (stylized) theory and history
The concentration and centralization of capital, backwardness, stage theory and capitalist modernization
State capitalism, imperialism and late industrialization
The rise of the rest: late industrial capitalism in Asia
Cosy capitalism or crony capitalism?
Re-evaluating the dynamics of imperialism-industrialism: a perspective (largely) from Latin America: the imperialism of free trade, structuralism and dependency
Conclusion
References
7 Religion and Capitalism
Introduction
Global and firm level interactions between religion and capitalism
The role of religion in the great divide between East and West
The role of religion in the development of corporate social responsibility
Religion as an instrument of capitalist social control
Religion-based ethics eroded by capitalist structures and motives
Skills and money from business in support of religious organizations
Crucial interactions in the West between religion and capitalism
Religion and the rise of capitalism
The role of Nonconformists in Britain’s pioneering Industrial Revolution of the 18th–19th centuries
Slavery
Conclusion
References
8 Capitalism and the Environment
Introduction
Capitalism and the problem of environmental externalities
Alternative green capitalisms
Corporate environmentalism
Conclusion
References
9 Capitalism and Income Inequality
Introduction
National
National level: causes of inequalities
Regional
Regional performance in Europe, 1900–2010
Regional performance in the UK
Regional level: causes of inequalities
Individual
Income from labour
Income from investment
Wealth: self-made
Wealth: inheritance
Individual level: causes of inequalities
Conclusion
References
10 Conclusion
Entrepreneurship
Finance
Management
Workers
Political leaders
Geographical dimensions
Values and beliefs
Future research
References
Index
Back Cover
