CAGE Economics Podcast

Learning from the past to inform our future

Series 1: The Great Divergence and the making of the modern world

Why did Western Europe become the richest region of the early modern world? Was the rise of the West powered by colonisation, inventions, or something else entirely? And what happened to the medieval might of China and India?

This podcast series explores the making of the modern world, asking why Western Europe overtook China and India as the epicentre of the world economy.

We talk to leading experts in the field about their theories of why this happened to get some insights into how what is known as the "Great Divergence" has an impact on world events today.

The topic is approached with balance and breadth, exploring everything from colonialism and fossil fuels to science, technology and parliamentary politics.

This series consists of five podcast episodes of 45-60 minutes each along with written summaries, graphs, links, and other useful resources for anyone interested in finding out more on the topics.

Episodes

Why the West? Colonies, fossil fuels, and lessons from China

Kenneth Pomeranz

The rise of the West started late. It was not the direct outcome of the Renaissance, the printing press, or the voyages of Columbus. It was the product of the Industrial Revolution, fuelled by fossil fuels and colonisation of distant lands. So argues Kenneth Pomeranz, author of the field-defining book The Great Divergence. In this opening episode he discusses his theory, connecting his research to the broader economic history of humanity.

Listen (55 min): |
Read (15 min):

Did science and enlightenment give Europe the edge?

Joel Mokyr

鈥淭he Industrial Revolution happened after the Scientific Revolution, and that is probably not a coincidence.鈥� In this episode Joel Mokyr, 2025 Nobel laureate in economic sciences, explores the many surprising ways by which science contributed to Europe鈥檚 economic rise. And it wasn鈥檛 just science. Europe鈥檚 culture was going through a broader change, with less emphasis on venerating the ancients and more desire to solve practical problems.

Listen (50 min): |
Read (12 min):

Why did the Industrial Revolution happen in Britain?

Robert Allen

Coming soon

What happened in the East? China, Japan and the power of the state

Debin Ma

Coming soon

What about the rest of the world? Measuring the origins of the modern economy

Bishnupriya Gupta and Stephen Broadberry

Coming soon

The Great Divergence podcast series is produced by the CAGE Research Centre in collaboration with the .

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