Jason M. Barr
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780199344369
- eISBN:
- 9780190231736
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199344369.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Manhattan, as the world’s greatest vertical city, is the result of a collective striving; its skyscrapers are the physical manifestation of this mass quest for success. Despite the fact that the ...
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Manhattan, as the world’s greatest vertical city, is the result of a collective striving; its skyscrapers are the physical manifestation of this mass quest for success. Despite the fact that the skyscraper is inherently an economic phenomenon, there is almost no work that chronicles its economic history. This book aims to fill this void by documenting not only the “what” but also the “why,” regarding this important aspect of New York City’s history; in the process this book debunks several misconceptions about the city’s real estate history. Part I lays out the historical and institutional background that established Manhattan’s trajectory before the Skyscraper Revolution at the end of the nineteenth century. The book begins with Manhattan’s natural and geological history and then moves on to how it influenced early land use and neighborhood formation, and how these early decisions eventually impacted the location of skyscrapers. Part II focuses specifically on the economic history of skyscrapers and the skyline, investigating the reasons for their heights, frequency, locations, and shapes. The book discusses why skyscrapers emerged Downtown and why they appeared 3 miles to the north in Midtown, but not in between. The book debunks the common belief that bedrock depths were important determinants of skyscraper locations. It discusses the cause of the building boom during the Roaring Twenties. The last chapter investigates the value of Manhattan and the relationship between skyscrapers and land prices. Finally, an Epilogue offers policy recommendations for a resilient and robust future skyline.Less
Manhattan, as the world’s greatest vertical city, is the result of a collective striving; its skyscrapers are the physical manifestation of this mass quest for success. Despite the fact that the skyscraper is inherently an economic phenomenon, there is almost no work that chronicles its economic history. This book aims to fill this void by documenting not only the “what” but also the “why,” regarding this important aspect of New York City’s history; in the process this book debunks several misconceptions about the city’s real estate history. Part I lays out the historical and institutional background that established Manhattan’s trajectory before the Skyscraper Revolution at the end of the nineteenth century. The book begins with Manhattan’s natural and geological history and then moves on to how it influenced early land use and neighborhood formation, and how these early decisions eventually impacted the location of skyscrapers. Part II focuses specifically on the economic history of skyscrapers and the skyline, investigating the reasons for their heights, frequency, locations, and shapes. The book discusses why skyscrapers emerged Downtown and why they appeared 3 miles to the north in Midtown, but not in between. The book debunks the common belief that bedrock depths were important determinants of skyscraper locations. It discusses the cause of the building boom during the Roaring Twenties. The last chapter investigates the value of Manhattan and the relationship between skyscrapers and land prices. Finally, an Epilogue offers policy recommendations for a resilient and robust future skyline.
Augustin K. Fosu (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199660704
- eISBN:
- 9780191748943
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199660704.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental, Economic History
In the development literature, some countries are cited more often than others as examples of development success. These countries are understood to have policies and institutions in place that could ...
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In the development literature, some countries are cited more often than others as examples of development success. These countries are understood to have policies and institutions in place that could be transferred, at least in part, to less successful countries both within their own regions, and elsewhere in the world. As such, they may constitute ‘role models of development’. This scholarly volume contains historical accounts of a select set of successful countries in the developing world; successful by virtue of their growth and development path — albeit at times in an uneven, non-linear, and patchy manner. Each unique case describes the fundamental ‘causes’ of success: initial conditions and resources; local, regional, and international factors shaping the national state of affairs; contributions to the development process by internal and external actors and institutions. Each country has a story to tell from where useful lessons can be drawn. While other similar works have presented cases of successful development strategies, they tend to be region-specific or constitute a relatively small number of cases. This book takes a more wide-ranging perspective involving a large number of country studies, spanning world regions and development levels.Less
In the development literature, some countries are cited more often than others as examples of development success. These countries are understood to have policies and institutions in place that could be transferred, at least in part, to less successful countries both within their own regions, and elsewhere in the world. As such, they may constitute ‘role models of development’. This scholarly volume contains historical accounts of a select set of successful countries in the developing world; successful by virtue of their growth and development path — albeit at times in an uneven, non-linear, and patchy manner. Each unique case describes the fundamental ‘causes’ of success: initial conditions and resources; local, regional, and international factors shaping the national state of affairs; contributions to the development process by internal and external actors and institutions. Each country has a story to tell from where useful lessons can be drawn. While other similar works have presented cases of successful development strategies, they tend to be region-specific or constitute a relatively small number of cases. This book takes a more wide-ranging perspective involving a large number of country studies, spanning world regions and development levels.
Morten Jerven
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199689910
- eISBN:
- 9780191770388
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199689910.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History, Development, Growth, and Environmental
How do we measure African economic performance? This question is fully explored through this pioneering study of how growth is measured in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia; many widely held ...
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How do we measure African economic performance? This question is fully explored through this pioneering study of how growth is measured in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia; many widely held beliefs about African economic performance are radically challenged. The book offers a reconsideration of economic growth in Africa from three points of view. First, the emphasis in studies of economic growth in Africa has been on average economic growth. The book shows that there has in fact been no lack of economic growth, and that, in particular, the gains made in the 1960s and 1970s have been neglected. Second, it shows how, for many countries, the decline in economic growth in the 1980s has been overstated, as has the improved growth that took place during the 1990s. In addition, GDP measures are incomplete in their coverage of economic activities. In the 1980s, increasing areas of economic activity were absent from the official records, thus overestimating the decline (because of declining coverage); as a consequence, the increase that took place in the 1990s was overestimated (because of increasing coverage). Third, the book shows that there is no clear link between economic growth and orthodox economic policies. This goes counter to the mainstream interpretation, suggesting that the importance of economic policies has been overstated, and the importance of external economic conditions understated, in the dominant explanation of African economic performance.Less
How do we measure African economic performance? This question is fully explored through this pioneering study of how growth is measured in Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia; many widely held beliefs about African economic performance are radically challenged. The book offers a reconsideration of economic growth in Africa from three points of view. First, the emphasis in studies of economic growth in Africa has been on average economic growth. The book shows that there has in fact been no lack of economic growth, and that, in particular, the gains made in the 1960s and 1970s have been neglected. Second, it shows how, for many countries, the decline in economic growth in the 1980s has been overstated, as has the improved growth that took place during the 1990s. In addition, GDP measures are incomplete in their coverage of economic activities. In the 1980s, increasing areas of economic activity were absent from the official records, thus overestimating the decline (because of declining coverage); as a consequence, the increase that took place in the 1990s was overestimated (because of increasing coverage). Third, the book shows that there is no clear link between economic growth and orthodox economic policies. This goes counter to the mainstream interpretation, suggesting that the importance of economic policies has been overstated, and the importance of external economic conditions understated, in the dominant explanation of African economic performance.
Vladimir Popov
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198703631
- eISBN:
- 9780191772849
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198703631.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History, Development, Growth, and Environmental
This book offers a new interpretation of the ‘Great Divergence’ and ‘Great Convergence’ stories: how Western countries grew rich and why parts of the developing world (South and East Asia, Middle ...
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This book offers a new interpretation of the ‘Great Divergence’ and ‘Great Convergence’ stories: how Western countries grew rich and why parts of the developing world (South and East Asia, Middle East) did not catch up with the West during 1500–1950, but started to catch up afterwards, whereas others (Latin America, South Africa, Russia) did better in 1500–1950, but have fallen behind the first group since 1950. Western countries exited the Malthusian trap by dismantling traditional collectivist institutions that increased income inequality, impoverished the masses, and even decreased life expectancy, but allowed the redistribution of income in favour of savings and investment at the expense of consumption. When the same pattern was applied to developing countries (colonialism—Latin America, Russian empire, Sub-Saharan Africa), it resulted in the destruction of traditional institutions, an increase in income inequality, and the worsening of starting positions for catch-up development. This group of countries replicated the Western exit from the Malthusian trap—they experienced an immediate increase in income differentiation, a rise in savings and investment and growth of productivity, but at the price of rising social inequality and deterioration of institutional capacities. Other developing countries (East and South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa) were less affected by colonialism and managed to retain their traditional institutions. This delayed their transition to modern economic growth until the mid twentieth century, but allowed them to preserve good starting positions for economic growth—low inequality and strong institutions.Less
This book offers a new interpretation of the ‘Great Divergence’ and ‘Great Convergence’ stories: how Western countries grew rich and why parts of the developing world (South and East Asia, Middle East) did not catch up with the West during 1500–1950, but started to catch up afterwards, whereas others (Latin America, South Africa, Russia) did better in 1500–1950, but have fallen behind the first group since 1950. Western countries exited the Malthusian trap by dismantling traditional collectivist institutions that increased income inequality, impoverished the masses, and even decreased life expectancy, but allowed the redistribution of income in favour of savings and investment at the expense of consumption. When the same pattern was applied to developing countries (colonialism—Latin America, Russian empire, Sub-Saharan Africa), it resulted in the destruction of traditional institutions, an increase in income inequality, and the worsening of starting positions for catch-up development. This group of countries replicated the Western exit from the Malthusian trap—they experienced an immediate increase in income differentiation, a rise in savings and investment and growth of productivity, but at the price of rising social inequality and deterioration of institutional capacities. Other developing countries (East and South Asia, Middle East, and North Africa) were less affected by colonialism and managed to retain their traditional institutions. This delayed their transition to modern economic growth until the mid twentieth century, but allowed them to preserve good starting positions for economic growth—low inequality and strong institutions.
Accounting for Oneself
Adjusting to a World in Motion
Advancing the Human Right to Health
Aid and Development
The AIDS Generation
Aliens and Strangers?
The Alternatives to War
Altruism in Humans
American Arcadia
