شنبه 24 آذر ماه سال 1386The Americans: An Economic Record
By Stanley Lebergott
Dr. Ameli
Co-author book review by: Hedyeh Nasseri and Elaheh Jarrrahi
Year of publication: 1984
City of publication: New York
Hardcover: 560 pages
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Ltd; 1st edition (August 29, 1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393018237
ISBN-13: 978-0393018233
Price: $31.60
About the Author:
Stanley Lebergott is a prominent professor of economics at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He was formerly an economist with the U.S. Bureau of the Budget and the U.S. Department of Labor. He was a member of the President's Commission on Federal Statistics in 1971 and president of the Economic History Association in 1984. He is the author of Consumer Expenditures: New Measures & Old Motives, Pursuing Happiness: American Consumers in the Twentieth Century, Wealth & Want, The American Economy: Income, Wealth, & Want, and Pursuing Happiness: American Consumers in the Twentieth Century.
The book "The Americans; an Economic Record" is considered as a reference book in the field of economics and has been cited by many other authors. The overall view of the author is very well reflected in other economic books, as they have all used it as a reference. This means that Lebergott could completely achieve what he wanted. The topics that he is preoccupied with are economic forecasting, right to labour, immigration, industrialization, unemployment, business depressions, urban growth, technology and innovation etc.
This book is not recommended for people who have not got first an economic base and second a history background of the United States of America. It is suggested to anyone who is an undergraduate, postgraduate or professor in the field of economics.
Descriptive Analysis:
Although the title of the book clearly shows that the author is going to talk about American economy, it also talks about the gained power of the Americans to prophesy their future, particularly from the economic point of view. This idea can be seen in this excerpt of the book:
"The ancient Greeks saw Clio as the "Muse of Prophecy and History."[1] To guide every day's activity we must prophecy. But "we walk backward into the future."[2] Forecasters must look to the past; what other experience is there? Some analysts rely on models with dozens of behavioral equations. But they fit them to data from the past. All analysts choose decisive variables based on their view of the past, giving different weights to particular elements of supply and demand, to the class struggle, to human consciousness. As Sir George Savile wrote long ago, "The best qualification of a prophet is to have a good memory."
Another characteristic of the American economic history according to the writer is that of choice. That is wholly because of the choice that the immigrants to America made, regardless of what their reason for immigration or migration was.
Author's main questions:
1)Why were the Indians ignored so completely?
2)How was it possible for the US to have 30 ups and downs in business process? In other words, how could the US survive during thirty depressions?
3)Why did Congress decide to sell two billion acres of the public domain so extravagantly?
4)Why was not bank deposit chosen before the 1930s?
Author's general answers to the mentioned questions:
1)Firstly and most importantly Indian's way of life was largely different from the whites'. Secondly neither Britain, nor France nor Spain considered the Indians as a power to be allied with. And that is the destiny of all the ethnic minority groups. (Lebergott, 1984)
2)What is discussed here is that the USA has never had what is literally called a "depression" except the Great Depression of 1929-1939, which means the US has almost ever experienced slight depressions, without unemployment. The Great Depression was severe because it faced unemployment in great numbers. (Lebergott, 1984)
3)The main purpose of this bargain was to develop a public land policy. And the main factors that led to this were Louisiana Purchase, Westward movement and federal debts that the government had to pay back to some states. (Lebergott, 1984)
4)Before 1930, Congress was unwilling to support banks from failing. For example the Federal Reserve Act was defeated by Congress in 1913 and it imposed many damages to not only bankers but also depositors.
Critical Analysis:
It's been claimed in this book that American Independence was fought for political reasons rather than economic ones. But based on American history it's clear that Americans protested against the British because of the taxation like the Stamp Act and Sugar Act. (for further reading go to The American Promise: A History of the United States, Volume I: To 1877 by James L. Roark, Michael Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, Alan Lawson and Susan M. Hartmann)
Now in comparison to other books available on the subject like: "History of the American Economy with Economic Applications" by Gary M. Walton and Hugh Rockoff and "A New Economic View of American History: From Colonial Times to 1940" by Jeremy Atack, Peter Passell and Susan Lee one can say this book is rather indigestible for the public. On the other hand, it provides the professional reader with different charts, tables and figures.
What the book under review has got in common with the aforementioned books are the subjects such as: industry and finance, public land policy, the Great Depression and colonization.
All in all, despite the incomprehensible text of the book, the author could achieve all the goals he had in mind mostly with the use of charts, diagrams and figures, all equipped with reliable sources.
References:
1.http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/WagesandWorkingConditions.html
2.http://www.amazon.com/History-American-Economy-Economic-Applications/dp/0324259697/ref=pd_sim_b_title_5
3.http://www.amazon.com/New-Economic-View-American-History/dp/0393963152/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1
4.http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=Lebergott&pageSize=10
By Stanley Lebergott
Dr. Ameli
Co-author book review by: Hedyeh Nasseri and Elaheh Jarrrahi
Year of publication: 1984
City of publication: New York
Hardcover: 560 pages
Publisher: W W Norton & Co Ltd; 1st edition (August 29, 1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393018237
ISBN-13: 978-0393018233
Price: $31.60
About the Author:
Stanley Lebergott is a prominent professor of economics at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He was formerly an economist with the U.S. Bureau of the Budget and the U.S. Department of Labor. He was a member of the President's Commission on Federal Statistics in 1971 and president of the Economic History Association in 1984. He is the author of Consumer Expenditures: New Measures & Old Motives, Pursuing Happiness: American Consumers in the Twentieth Century, Wealth & Want, The American Economy: Income, Wealth, & Want, and Pursuing Happiness: American Consumers in the Twentieth Century.
The book "The Americans; an Economic Record" is considered as a reference book in the field of economics and has been cited by many other authors. The overall view of the author is very well reflected in other economic books, as they have all used it as a reference. This means that Lebergott could completely achieve what he wanted. The topics that he is preoccupied with are economic forecasting, right to labour, immigration, industrialization, unemployment, business depressions, urban growth, technology and innovation etc.
This book is not recommended for people who have not got first an economic base and second a history background of the United States of America. It is suggested to anyone who is an undergraduate, postgraduate or professor in the field of economics.
Descriptive Analysis:
Although the title of the book clearly shows that the author is going to talk about American economy, it also talks about the gained power of the Americans to prophesy their future, particularly from the economic point of view. This idea can be seen in this excerpt of the book:
"The ancient Greeks saw Clio as the "Muse of Prophecy and History."[1] To guide every day's activity we must prophecy. But "we walk backward into the future."[2] Forecasters must look to the past; what other experience is there? Some analysts rely on models with dozens of behavioral equations. But they fit them to data from the past. All analysts choose decisive variables based on their view of the past, giving different weights to particular elements of supply and demand, to the class struggle, to human consciousness. As Sir George Savile wrote long ago, "The best qualification of a prophet is to have a good memory."
Another characteristic of the American economic history according to the writer is that of choice. That is wholly because of the choice that the immigrants to America made, regardless of what their reason for immigration or migration was.
Author's main questions:
1)Why were the Indians ignored so completely?
2)How was it possible for the US to have 30 ups and downs in business process? In other words, how could the US survive during thirty depressions?
3)Why did Congress decide to sell two billion acres of the public domain so extravagantly?
4)Why was not bank deposit chosen before the 1930s?
Author's general answers to the mentioned questions:
1)Firstly and most importantly Indian's way of life was largely different from the whites'. Secondly neither Britain, nor France nor Spain considered the Indians as a power to be allied with. And that is the destiny of all the ethnic minority groups. (Lebergott, 1984)
2)What is discussed here is that the USA has never had what is literally called a "depression" except the Great Depression of 1929-1939, which means the US has almost ever experienced slight depressions, without unemployment. The Great Depression was severe because it faced unemployment in great numbers. (Lebergott, 1984)
3)The main purpose of this bargain was to develop a public land policy. And the main factors that led to this were Louisiana Purchase, Westward movement and federal debts that the government had to pay back to some states. (Lebergott, 1984)
4)Before 1930, Congress was unwilling to support banks from failing. For example the Federal Reserve Act was defeated by Congress in 1913 and it imposed many damages to not only bankers but also depositors.
Critical Analysis:
It's been claimed in this book that American Independence was fought for political reasons rather than economic ones. But based on American history it's clear that Americans protested against the British because of the taxation like the Stamp Act and Sugar Act. (for further reading go to The American Promise: A History of the United States, Volume I: To 1877 by James L. Roark, Michael Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, Alan Lawson and Susan M. Hartmann)
Now in comparison to other books available on the subject like: "History of the American Economy with Economic Applications" by Gary M. Walton and Hugh Rockoff and "A New Economic View of American History: From Colonial Times to 1940" by Jeremy Atack, Peter Passell and Susan Lee one can say this book is rather indigestible for the public. On the other hand, it provides the professional reader with different charts, tables and figures.
What the book under review has got in common with the aforementioned books are the subjects such as: industry and finance, public land policy, the Great Depression and colonization.
All in all, despite the incomprehensible text of the book, the author could achieve all the goals he had in mind mostly with the use of charts, diagrams and figures, all equipped with reliable sources.
References:
1.http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/WagesandWorkingConditions.html
2.http://www.amazon.com/History-American-Economy-Economic-Applications/dp/0324259697/ref=pd_sim_b_title_5
3.http://www.amazon.com/New-Economic-View-American-History/dp/0393963152/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1
4.http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/search?keywords=Lebergott&pageSize=10
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