The Record of Global Economic Development analyses the long-term and current economic forces which promote or impede globalisation, drawing on the experience of economic history to help interpret major trends in modern economies.Eric Jones brings up-to-date the debate on the origins of, and suitable conditions for, economic growth and discusses themes relating to cultural, institutional and structural change. He rejects cultural explanations of economic growth and emphasises the institutional and political conditions that support it. An account of long-term world agriculture is followed by a brief history of English agriculture and a critique of the latest arguments for preserving it. Other topics considered include language protectionism, East Asia's 'miracle' and crisis, and specific attempts to adjust to or resist globalisation.

A broad range of geographical as well as historical examples relating to England, Europe, East Asia and Australia, is drawn on. This multidisciplinary work will appeal to a wide readership, including institutional economists, economic historians, sociologists, political scientists, historians and historical geographers.