My name is Jack Leach. I am a professional economist and an amateur historian, with a keen interest in why some countries became rich while others remained poor. I write these posts to organize and retain what I learn.

“The History of Economic Growth”: the definite article makes me uneasy. These posts are not chronologically, geographically, or topically comprehensive, and they never will be. They are a reflection of my self-directed reading. Nevertheless, I believe that they constitute a useful introduction to a very broad literature. I hope that they will be of some value to readers.