“China, Europe and the Great Divergence : A Study in Historical National Accounting, 980-1850”
Stephen Broadberry (London School of Economics and CAGE), Hanhui Guan (Peking University) and David DaoKui Li (Tsinghua University)
Jeudi 30 avril 2015, Salle de réunion de l’IAO (R66), de 14h à 15h30
Résumé : GDP is estimated for China between the late tenth and mid-nineteenth centuries, and combined with population estimates. Chinese GDP per capita was highest during the Northern Song dynasty and declined during the Ming and Qing dynasties. China led the world in living standards during the Northern Song dynasty, but had fallen behind Italy by 1300. At this stage, it is possible that the Yangzi delta was still on a par with the richest parts of Europe, but by 1700 the gap was too large to be bridged by regional variation within China and the Great Divergence had already begun.