EP06 - The Great Divergence: Capitalism and the Ideology of Profit ft. Shami Ghosh
4Description
Why are some countries rich, while others are poor? How did we get from a world of "surprising resemblances" to one where Europe pulled ahead while other major regions seem to have gotten left behind? Previously we discussed the role of culture and institutions in these transitions. But some scholars look more closely to the category of capitalism as a specific way in which production and consumption is organized, and especially its drive for profit-maximization. What does capitalism have to do with industrialization and modern economic growth? Why did these happen in England and not elsewhere?
I'm joined by Dr. Shami Ghosh, author of King’s Sagas and Norwegian History: Problems and Perspectives, and Writing the Barbarian Past: Studies in Early Medieval Historical Narrative, to discuss these questions.
Music by Zobu.
United States
