The Rise of Empires : The Political Economy of Innovation

This book describes and evaluates how institutional innovation and technological innovation have impacted on humanity from pre-historical times to modern times, and how societies have been transformed in history. The author interrogates the relationship between innovation and civilisation -- particularly the dynamic whereby innovation leads to empire-building -- and explores innovation efforts that stimulated economic and social synergies from the Babylonian Empire in 1900 BC up to the British Empire in the twentieth century. The author uses historical cross-cultural case studies to establish the factors which have given competitive advantages to societies and empires. This book will be of interest to researchers and students in political economy, economic history, economic growth and innovation economics.-- ǂc Provided by publisher Front Matter ....Pages i-xiv Introduction (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 1-16 Theory of Innovation and Causal Dynamics (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 17-47 Pre-History: Emergence and Palaeolithic to Bronze Age—10,000 BC to 800 BC (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 49-88 The Babylonian Empire: 1900 BC to 539 BC (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 89-116 Ancient Greece: 1100 BC to 30 BC (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 117-140 The Roman Empire (443 BC to 395 AD) (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 141-169 The Chola Dynasty: 350 BC to 1279 AD (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 171-199 The Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD) and the Song Dynasty (960 AD to 1279 AD) (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 201-232 The Mongol Empire: 1206 AD to 1368 AD (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 233-261 The British Empire: 1603 AD to 1997 AD (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 263-293 Conclusion (Sangaralingam Ramesh)....Pages 295-307 Back Matter ....Pages 309-328