To Close the Gap

摘要

If the time since modern humans first appeared, some 200 thousand years ago, were magically compressed into a single day, the era of sustained growth in living standards would occupy only the most recent minute and a half. Prior to this emergence (around 1800), living standards were low and did not vary enormously throughout the world-perhaps by a factor of 2 according to numbers compiled by the late economist Angus Maddison (7). The emergence of modern economic growth in some parts of the world but not others has caused living standards to diverge dramatically.