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Winter 2017

ISSN 0890-913X

Volume 32, Number 4

Categories: Winter 2017 | Economic history

Causation and Economic History

Matthew Brown, University of Illinois-Springfield

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CausationandEconomicHistoryTheJournalofPrivateEnterprise32(4),2017,1–12MatthewBrownUniversityofIllinois-Springfield__________________________________________________________AbstractMcCloskey’sBourgeoisEratrilogyattemptsasweepingreimaginingoftheoriginsofnorthwesternEuropean,thenWestern,thenglobaleconomicgrowthoverthelastfewcenturies.Thistopicisperhapsthemostimportantoneeconomichistorianscanexplore.Iofferthoughtsonthenatureofcausationandourabilitytoidentifycausesinhistory,thendiscusswhyIthinkmarketprocessesareakeyfactor.Capitalismdestroystheinstitutional,social,andculturalstatusquoandbuildsanewintheirplaces.ThemarketprocessisthuspartoftheGreatCauseoftheGreatEnrichment;mostotherproposedexplanationswentalongfortheride.Aclearunderstandingofhowcauseandeffect(orcauseandenrichment)playedoutremainstobeexplored.__________________________________________________________JELCodes:B15,B25,E02,E14,N13Keywords:theGreatDivergence,bourgeoiscapitalism,institutions,socialchange,marketprocessI.IntroductionIrememberhearingDeirdreMcCloskeyrefertoherproject,theBourgeoisEra,as(I’mparaphrasingfrommemory)“thereasonIwasputonthisearth”throughoutherprocessofwritingthethreebooks.Andagrandreasonitis!ThetrilogyattemptsasweepingreimaginingofthenarrativeofnorthwesternEuropean,thenWestern,thenglobaleconomicgrowthoverthelastfewcenturies.“Unambitious”isnotalabelanyonewouldassociatewiththeproject.Inherfirstvolume,TheBourgeoisVirtues,McCloskeymakesapowerfulcaseforabetterunderstandingoftheroleofcapitalismandcommercialsocietyinshaping,andbeingshapedby,admirablevirtues.IgivehercreditforabscondingwiththeMarxistterm“bourgeois”andrehabilitatingitwithanew,positiveconnotation.Theassociationof“bourgeois”andthe“bourgeoisie”withalltheevil,selfish,destructive,Earth-imperilingmentalmodelstheyhavebeensaddledwithhasdoneagreatdisservicetosociety’sunderstandingoftheroleofcommercetheselasttwohundredorsoyears.Intheintellectualdiscourse,beforeMcCloskey’sintervention,

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Metadata [hide]

Title	Causation and Economic History
Authors/Creators:	Matthew Brown, University of Illinois-Springfield
Year:	2017
Volume:	32
Number:	4
Pages:	1 - 12
Publisher:	The Association of Private Enterprise Education
ISSN:	0890-913X
Document Type:	Articles
Keywords:	the Great Divergence, bourgeois capitalism, institutions, social change, market process

Citation:
Brown, Matthew / 2017. "Causation and Economic History." The Journal of Private Enterprise, 32(4): 1-12.