(ECOPE05) CHAPTER 03_081601
(ECOPE05) CHAPTER 03_081601
Economic
Development
Module
Prepared by:
Dina Campos
CBA Faculty
CHAPTER 3
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Learning Objectives:
Illustrate the development of Economic Development in a historical perspective
To analyze the economics of developing countries, we need some basic facts about their
growth and development, including an evolutionary biological approach to development, a
sketch of economic development in ancient and medieval times, world leaders in GDP capita
from about 1500 to the present, the origins of modern economic growth and why it was
largely confined to the West before the 20th century, non-Western growth models, the range
of growth in the last 100 to 150 years, a concrete illustration of the power of exponential
growth in North America in the last 125 years, the modern periods of fastest growth, the
economic growth of Europe and Japan after World War II, the growth of LDCs before and after
World War II, and the diverse economic performance among LDCs by country and world
region. Finally, the U.N. General Assembly perceives today’s major international problem as
the widening income gap between rich and poor countries. Has income indeed widened, and
is narrowing the gap an important goal? The last section draws on earlier sections to ask
whether income levels between DCs and LDCs are converging or diverging
Economic Development