Z **Archived** Economics 210a: Introduction to Economic History: U.C. Berkeley: Spring 2008

Econ 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Question for November 15

Memo Question for November 15:

Maxine Berg and Pat Hudson write that the "historiography of the industrial revolution in England has moved away from viewing the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as a unique turning point in economic and social development." Do you agree with their conclusion that the literature has moved too far in this direction? Why or why not?

Econ 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Question for November 8

Memo Question for November 8:

Adam Smith's 1776 Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is not what we would call a work of "economics." What kind of a book is it? Who do you think its intended audience is? Of what is Smith trying to persuade his audience? Which of the conclusions that Smith reaches--and of which he is trying to persuade his audience--would we think of today as conclusions of "economics"?

Economics 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Question for November 1

ECONOMICS 210A: MEMO QUESTION FOR November 1: Agriculture and Forced Labor in Early Modern Growth

Adam Smith confidently predicted that slavery was on its way out for economic reasons. In commercial society, manumission would be the rule because the carrot of working for yourself is much more efficient than the stick of being whipped by others. Was Adam Smith right? If you conclude he was wrong, why was he wrong?

Economics 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Grading

The grading policy for memos will be:

14 memos. 2 points each. As follows:

0 - not handed in
1 - handed in, but could have been written without thinking about the reading
2 - reflects upon the reading
3 - teaches us something

Economics 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Question for October 25

ECONOMICS 210A: MEMO QUESTION FOR OCTOBER 25 How much of a difference does "good government"--that is, a government that cares about commerce and enforces contracts more-or-less honestly--appear to have made in the centuries before the industrial revolution in Britain?

Economics 210a: Fall 2006: Memo Question for October 18

ECONOMICS 210A: MEMO QUESTION FOR OCTOBER 11

Was it in fact the case-as UCLA's Jared Diamond maintains-that the invention of agriculture was the worst mistake in the history of the human race? Which side of this question do you come down on-yes or no-and why? Or, if you want to suspend judgment, what additional facts about the past and present would you need to know before you would come down on one side or the other?