Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Part Part I The logic -- chapter 1 The nature and origin of modern society -- chapter 2 The failure and success of East Asia -- chapter 3 The self-transforming machine -- part Part II Reflection -- chapter 4 The discovery of distance -- chapter 5 The face in the mirror -- chapter 6 Institutions that reflect -- part Part III Entrepreneurship -- chapter 7 Origins of the entrepreneurial outlook -- chapter 8 The age of the demiurge -- chapter 9 Institutions that get things done -- part Part IV Pluralism -- chapter 10 A world in pieces -- chapter 11 The polite alternative -- chapter 12 Institutions dealing with conflicts -- part Part V European paths to modernity -- chapter 13 Institutions and revolutions -- part Part VI China -- chapter 14 Reflection -- chapter 15 Entrepreneurship -- chapter 16 Pluralism -- chapter 17 Europe and China compared -- part Part VII Reform and revolution in Japan and China -- chapter 18 Foreign challenges, Japanese responses -- chapter 19 Japan and China in a modern world -- part Part VIII The future of modern society -- chapter 20 The new politics of modernisation.

Why, from the eighteenth century onwards, did some countries embark on a path of sustained economic growth, while others stagnated? This text looks at the kind of institutions that are required in order for change to take place, and Ringmar concludes that for sustained development to be possible, change must be institutionalized. Taking a global view, Ringmar investigates the implications of his conclusion on issues facing the developing world today.

Open Access EbpS