Today the gap between rich and poor nations is larger than it has ever been in recorded history. Yet the economic hegemony of Europe was unanticipated in the 15th century when Europeans seemed no more advanced than their eastern counterparts. This collection of papers places present development problems in historical perspective, drawing on European experience to determine what characterized the growth of the world's first industrialized continent. Topics discussed in this volume include the influence of late fertility on economic development, the roots of Latin American backwardness,...