The Institutional Revolution: Measurement and the Economic Emergence of the Modern World

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Douglas W. Allen

The Institutional Revolution

Measurement and the Economic Emergence of the Modern World

Douglas W. Allen

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English

University of Chicago Press
01 December 2011

European history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Economic history; Industry & industrial studies

Series: Markets and Governments in Economic History

Few events in the history of humanity rival the Industrial Revolution. Following its onset in eighteenth-century Britain, sweeping changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, and technology began to gain unstoppable momentum throughout Europe, North America, and eventually much of the world—with profound effects on socioeconomic and cultural conditions.

In The Institutional Revolution, Douglas W. Allen offers a thought-provoking account of another, quieter revolution that took place at the end of the eighteenth century and allowed for the full exploitation of the many new technological innovations. Fundamental to this shift were dramatic changes in institutions, or the rules that govern society, which reflected significant improvements in the ability to measure performance—whether of government officials, laborers, or naval officers—thereby reducing the role of nature and the hazards of variance in daily affairs. Along the way, Allen provides readers with a fascinating explanation of the critical roles played by seemingly bizarre institutions, from dueling to the purchase of one’s rank in the British Army. Engagingly written, The Institutional Revolution traces the dramatic shift from premodern institutions based on patronage, purchase, and personal ties toward modern institutions based on standardization, merit, and wage labor—a shift which was crucial to the explosive economic growth of the Industrial Revolution.

By: Douglas W. Allen
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 23mm, Width: 16mm, Spine: 2mm
Weight: 539g
ISBN: 9780226014746
ISBN 10: 0226014746
Series: Markets and Governments in Economic History
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 December 2011
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Douglas W. Allen is the Burnaby Mountain Professor of Economics at Simon Fraser University in Canada. He is the author of numerous books, including The Nature of the Farm: Contracts, Risk, and Organization in Agriculture.

Reviews for The Institutional Revolution: Measurement and the Economic Emergence of the Modern World

"""Douglas W. Allen has written a brilliant and challenging book that puts the measurement problem in the foreground to convincingly explain the logic of pre-modern institutions-institutions that the typical modern person, until reading Allen, views as the embodiment of chaos, inefficiency, corruption, and ineptitude. The Institutional Revolution contains a wealth of historical information that anyone with an interest in history will find interesting and often delightful."" -Thrainn Eggertsson, New York University"""