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New in Economics

Here are the latest additions to Oesterle Library's economics collection. Click on the title of the book for more information.

The origins of capitalism and the "rise of the West" - Eric H. Mielants
Call Number: 330.9401 M58o
Sociologist Mielants (Fairfield Univ.) argues that while the merchant spirit to accumulate riches existed in all civilizations, merchants' position in politics differed among societies. It was such differences that contributed to the eventual emergence of capitalism in the West. More specifically, in comparison with other civilizations, western Europe had strong and largely independent city-states that facilitated the merchants' collective identity formation and domination in politics at the expense of the state and other traditional orders, to the extent that states became for a period of time tools for the advancement of merchants' economic interests. The author's argument sounds familiar. What is new is that he makes a balanced comparison of the "European miracle" and the historical experiences of China, South Asia, and Northern Africa, and is at pains to avoid the Eurocentrism that is common in this kind of analysis. -Choice Reviews

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