Rulers, religion, and riches : why the West got rich and the Middle East did not
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Rulers, religion, and riches : why the West got rich and the Middle East did not
(Cambridge studies in economics, choice, and society)
Cambridge University Press, 2017
- : pbk
- : hardback
Available at 8 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 245-263) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
For centuries following the spread of Islam, the Middle East was far ahead of Europe. Yet, the modern economy was born in Europe. Why was it not born in the Middle East? In this book Jared Rubin examines the role that Islam played in this reversal of fortunes. It argues that the religion itself is not to blame; the importance of religious legitimacy in Middle Eastern politics was the primary culprit. Muslim religious authorities were given an important seat at the political bargaining table, which they used to block important advancements such as the printing press and lending at interest. In Europe, however, the Church played a weaker role in legitimizing rule, especially where Protestantism spread (indeed, the Reformation was successful due to the spread of printing, which was blocked in the Middle East). It was precisely in those Protestant nations, especially England and the Dutch Republic, where the modern economy was born.
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- Part I. Propagation of Rule: A Theory of Economic Success and Stagnation: 2. The propagation rule
- 3. Historical origins of rule propagation
- Part II. Applying the Theory: Why the West Got Rich and the Middle East Did Not: 4. Bans on taking interest
- 5. Restrictions on the printing press
- 6. Printing and the Reformation
- 7. Success: England and the Dutch Republic
- 8. Stagnation: Spain and the Ottoman Empire
- 9. Conclusion.
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