"Is inequality largely the result of the Industrial Revolution? Or, were pre-industrial incomes and life expectancies as unequal as they are today? For want of sufficient data, these questions have not yet been answered. This paper infers inequality for 14 ancient, pre-industrial societies using...

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Chapter 1. Persistent Debate, a New Approach, More Data, Rich Findings -- Chapter 2. Colonial Incomes on the Eve of the Revolution -- Chapter 3. When Did Colonial America Get Rich? -- Chapter 4. Losing the Lead -- Chapter 5. Unequal...

May 2000 - Using the word capital to represent two different concepts is not such a problem when government is responsible for only a small fraction of national investment and is reasonably effective (as in the United States). But when government is a major investor and is ineffective, the gap...