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Drawing on modern economic theory, this book provides new insights into the economic development of ancient economies and the sustainability of their development. The book pays particular attention to the economics of hunting and gathering societies and their diversity. New ideas are presented about theories of the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, including Childe's theory of this development. The Agricultural Revolution was a major contributor to economic development because in most cases, it generated an economic surplus. However, as shown, income inequality was a necessary condition for the use of this surplus to promote economic development and to avoid the Malthusian population trap. This inequality was evident in the successful operation of the palatial economies of the Minoan and Mycenaean states. Nevertheless, some post-agricultural economies proved to be unsustainable, and they'mysteriously'disappeared. This happened in the case of the Silesian Únětice culture and population. Economic and ecological reasons for this are suggested. The nature of economic development altered with increased trade, the use of barter, and subsequently the supply of money to facilitate this trade. These developments are examined in the context of the palatial economies of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Elsewhere, multinational business made a substantial contribution to the economic growth of Phoenicia, where international trade was not determined by its natural resource endowments. Thus, Phoenician economic exchange and development provides a different set of insights. The book makes an important contribution to the understanding of the evolution of human societies and will therefore be of interdisciplinary interest including economists (especially economic historians), anthropologists and sociologists, some archaeologists, and historians.

This shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research selected by expert series editors and contextualised by new analysis on the industrial history of delivering utilities.With contributions on the strengths and weaknesses of the creation of electricity networks, the organisation and performance of Britain's nationalised gas industry, and the environmental impact of delivering water and removing waste water, this volume provides an array of fascinating insights into industrial history.Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis and illustrative case-studies that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.

The evolution of business history offers some radical ways forward for a discipline which is rich in potential. This shortform book offers an expert overview of how the field has relevance for contemporary business studies as well as the social sciences more broadly, as well as practitioners interested in historical perspectives.This book not only provides a comprehensive review of how the discipline of business history has evolved over the last century, but it also lays out an agenda for the next decade. Focusing specifically on the ‘three pillars'of research, teaching and practical impact, the authors have outlined how while the first has flourished across many continents, the latter two are struggling to overcome significant challenges associated with how the discipline is perceived, especially in the social sciences. A solution is proposed that would involve academics working more closely with practitioners, thereby increasing the discipline's credibility across key stakeholders.The work here presented provides a concise and easily digestible overview of the topic which will be of interest to scholars, researchers and advanced students focusing on the evolution of business history and its impact on the way the world conducts business today.

This shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research selected by expert series editors and contextualised by new analysis from each author on the subject of knowledge management in industrial history. With contributions on knowledge management, knowledge transfer, knowledge loss, knowledge creation, competition and co-operation in producing skilled employees, and ownership structures and their relation to knowledge management, this volume provides an array of fascinating insights into industrial history. Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis and illustrative case-studies that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.

This shortform book presents key peer-reviewed research selected by expert series editors and contextualised by new analysis from each author on government intervention and unexpected consequences in industrial history.With contributions on organisational structure, the quality of corporate governance, protectionism, the shareholder value model, and economic nationalism, this volume provides an array of fascinating insights into industrial history. Of interest to business and economic historians, this shortform book also provides analysis and illustrative case studies that will be valuable reading across the social sciences.

The trajectories of pollution in global capitalism, from the toxic waste of early tanneries to the poisonous effects of pesticides in the twentieth century.Through the centuries, the march of economic progress has been accompanied by the spread of industrial pollution. As our capacities for production and our aptitude for consumption have increased, so have their byproducts—chemical contamination from fertilizers and pesticides, diesel emissions, oil spills, a vast “plastic continent” found floating in the ocean. The Contamination of the Earth offers a social and political history of industrial pollution, mapping its trajectories over three centuries, from the toxic wastes of early tanneries to the fossil fuel energy regime of the twentieth century.The authors describe how, from 1750 onward, in contrast to the early modern period, polluted water and air came to be seen as inevitable side effects of industrialization, which was universally regarded as beneficial. By the nineteenth century, pollutants became constituent elements of modernity. The authors trace the evolution of these various pollutions, and describe the ways in which they were simultaneously denounced and permitted. The twentieth century saw new and massive scales of pollution: chemicals that resisted biodegradation, including napalm and other defoliants used as weapons of war; the ascendancy of oil; and a lifestyle defined by consumption. In the 1970s, pollution became a political issue, but efforts—local, national, and global—to regulate it often fell short. Viewing the history of pollution though a political lens, the authors also offer lessons for the future of the industrial world.

Die deutsche Wissenschaftslandschaft befindet sich in einer tiefgreifenden Phase des Wandels. Sicherlich ist dies weder die erste noch die letzte. In dieser Landschaft behauptet sich das Institut für Industriearchäologie, Wissenschafts- und Technikgeschichte (IWTG) unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Helmuth Albrecht seit über zwei Jahrzehnten erfolgreich. Die hier vorgelegte Festschrift bettet die Arbeiten des Instituts und seines Leiters in das über die Jahre gewachsene Umfeld ein, beleuchtet Voraussetzungen und Randbedingungen und entwirft so ein Bild der deutschen Technikgeschichte und Industriekultur, das auch Perspektiven künftiger Entwicklungen eröffnet. Festschrift mit 39 Beiträgen und Personenregister. Auch als E-Book verfügbar.

The book goes beyond the assembly line to examine the physical environment of the industrial landscape.What machines are used to make cars and computer chips? Who are the people who make the products? When did robots replace humans on the assembly line? Why are factories configured the way they are? The Factory: A Social History of Work and Technology answers these questions and more, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look into the wonders of mass production. The book traces the history of the factory from the first small cottage workshop through the Industrial Revolution to the large, clean room it is today. It also examines the people behind the machines and how their roles have been defined by the design of factory buildings. Lastly, it illustrates the broader world of industrialization in relation to the effects it has had on workers and the consumer society that feeds it.

»Zwischen Notwendigkeit und Selbstverwirklichung« stellt die Entwicklung menschlicher Arbeit als zunächst langsame, dann immer schnellere Veränderung des Umgangs der Menschen mit ihrer Umwelt dar. In Vergangenheit wie Gegenwart analysiert der Autor Jörg Schmidt Probleme des Haushaltens, der Ernährung und Landbewirtschaftung, der Herstellung von Geräten und Bauten sowie der Nutzung mineralischer Ressourcen. Neben den gewaltigen Effizienzfortschritten treten Schattenseiten und Irrwege der »Modernisierung« der letzten zwei Jahrhunderte zutage. Das hilft, die heutige Krise der Industriegesellschaften klarer zu sehen und Alternativen mit historischer Vernunft einzuschätzen.

Dr Chaloner considers economic history to be a branch of what the French call the historical sciences and believes that it is impossible to treat usefully of the rise, decline and metamorphosis of industries and economics without some consideration of the part played by the efforts of individual men and women in these processes. In this collection of essays, first published in 1963, he provides biographies of certain entrepreneurs, inventors and engineers together with historical surveys of some vital industries.

This third impression of the second edition was originally published in 1963, and in this classic study George Unwin attempted for the first time to bridge the gap between the economic development of medieval England and the England of the eighteenth century with a detailed study of the evolution and growth of the London Livery Companies and the early craft guilds. He discusses at length the various amalgamations of the crafts, the early joint-stock enterprises, protectionism under James I, and the early development of the Trade Union Movement.In his introduction, Professor T. S. Ashton shows the importance of this pioneer study in the light of the industrial development today of the newly emergent nations.

The Instinct of Workmanship and the State of the Industrial Arts, originally issued in 1914, is described by Murray Murphey as his'most important work.'In this volume that the theoretical foundations are put forth on full display. Veblen's juxtaposition of the instinctive values of community welfare in contrast to the pecuniary values of commercial exchange was the basis of his later, more famous works. The book makes plain Veblen's basic dichotomy between technological institutions for making goods and the pecuniary institutions for making money.Veblen's book is taken up with the casual processes in the history of culture centered on human instincts and habits. For him, a change in the natural or social conditions produces effects only by changing the behavior of people. The whole panoply of habits, instincts, and motives, points to a theory of social and cultural change which substantially differs from the pragmatic tradition that swept America in the early decades of this century. Veblen makes so many unique contributions and insights that his work outlives the limitations of its theoretical shell.As is the case for most Veblen's works, footnotes and references are sparse, no index is provided, and the reader is left to fill in the missing paraphernalia the way one does with a novel. Indeed, the reader is swept along Veblen's captivating rhetoric in seven brilliant chapters moving from the instincts in primitive technology, to the current state of industrial arts, to the examination of predatory culture invited to the civilizational table by the competitive system, and finally into a contrast of handicrafts and machine industry.Veblen offers a dramaturgy and a morality of the industrial order of his time: much has changed, but a great deal remains the same and is easily identifiable by the discerning reader. In this passage through text and time, Murphey is the perfect guide, displaying a keen knowledge of philosophy, psychology

A Comparative History of Commerce and Industry, Volume I offers a subjective review of how the cultural, social and economic institutions of commerce and industry evolved in industrialized nations to produce the institution we now know as business enterprise.

A Comparative History of Commerce and Industry, Volume II offers a subjective review of how the cultural, social and economic institutions of commerce and industry evolved in industrialized nations to produce the institution we now know as business enterprise.

This unique two-volume work analyzes the Industrial Revolution from a global perspective and traces its influences up to the present day—encouraging students to rethink the significance of events past and present.By taking a fresh approach to its topic, Industrialization in the Modern World: From the Industrial Revolution to the Internet enables students to see this ongoing phenomenon not as a standalone event, but as a catalyst for the formation of today's globalized, industrializing world. Spanning the period from 1750 to the present, the work offers some 450 entries that cover developments in Africa and Asia, as well as in Europe and the United States. Numerous essays are organized around specific questions or problems; others examine significant events, countries, or industries. The work deals with all the major aspects of traditional industrialization (textiles, coal, steel), as well as modern variations (China, computers, the Internet). With a targeted approach, the authors will help students see how industrialization in one society influenced another, how industrialization spread throughout the world, and the causes and effects of each country's individual'revolution.'

Hobson's The Evolution of Modern Capitalism was first published in 1894, although this reissue is of the fourth edition, published in 1926. The work traces the developments in trade and industry which characterised the first decades of the twentieth century. In the first part, Hobson deals with the origins and structure of modern capitalism, including the development of the machine industry, the changing structure of trades and markets, and the effects of these on workers and consumers. The final supplementary chapter considers the impact of World War I on this changing economy, and the ‘disturbance, recovery and readjustments'which the war necessitated. This is a classic work of importance to economic historians and those with a particular interest in the history of capitalism.

Erudite yet readable work traces the economic evolution of Europe from 5th to 15th century. Focusing on working people, it covers breakup of feudal estates, development of small craft industries and large capitalist enterprises, rise of wage laborers, development of technical advances in industry and agriculture, rise of international commerce and finance.