The Mechanics of Modernity in Europe and East Asia: Institutional Origins of Social Change and Stagnation

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Title......Page 6
Copyright......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgements......Page 10
Part I The logic......Page 11
1 The nature and origin of modern society......Page 12
‘Modernity’ and ‘the modern’......Page 13
The poverty of economic theorising......Page 15
2 The failure and success of East Asia......Page 19
Explanations for the failure......Page 20
Explanations for the success......Page 23
The secret......Page 24
The logic of change......Page 27
Institutionalised change......Page 29
The origin of institutions......Page 32
This book......Page 33
Part II Reflection......Page 35
4 The discovery of distance......Page 36
The fishbowl world of the Middle Ages......Page 37
The view from Antiquity......Page 40
The view from Utopia......Page 41
The view from infinite space......Page 44
5 The face in the mirror......Page 47
Technologies of reflection......Page 48
The Venetian mirror......Page 49
The printing press......Page 51
Public opinion......Page 52
6 Institutions that reflect......Page 56
Universities......Page 57
Scientific academies......Page 60
Parliaments......Page 62
Part III Entrepreneurship......Page 67
7 Origins of the entrepreneurial outlook......Page 68
Medieval obstacles......Page 69
Marginal activities......Page 72
The world as a stage......Page 73
The star demon......Page 76
8 The age of the demiurge......Page 79
Robinsonian entrepreneurs......Page 80
Problems of collective action......Page 83
The new consumerism......Page 85
Property rights......Page 90
Dealing with risk......Page 93
Financial support......Page 97
Part IV Pluralism......Page 101
10 A world in pieces......Page 102
The unity and diversity of the Middle Ages......Page 103
Dismemberment......Page 106
The war of all against all......Page 108
The state and its war on diversity......Page 110
11 The polite alternative......Page 115
Machines vs. organisms......Page 116
Learning how to get along......Page 119
From civility to civil rights......Page 122
12 Institutions dealing with conflicts......Page 125
Self-regulating mechanisms......Page 126
A system of politics......Page 127
A system of economics......Page 131
Part V European paths to modernity......Page 134
13 Institutions and revolutions......Page 135
The smooth path......Page 136
The revolutionary path......Page 140
Part VI China......Page 144
14 Reflection......Page 145
Potentiality and change......Page 146
The natural point of view......Page 148
The historical point of view......Page 149
Technologies of reflection......Page 152
Institutions that reflect......Page 154
15 Entrepreneurship......Page 158
The action of inaction......Page 159
The Chinese discovery of Africa......Page 161
Supporting private entrepreneurs......Page 164
16 Pluralism......Page 168
The fear of chaos and what to do about it......Page 169
An orthopraxic society......Page 172
The advantages of chaos......Page 174
17 Europe and China compared......Page 177
Reflection, entrepreneurship and pluralism......Page 178
Institutionalisation......Page 182
Part VII Reform and revolution in Japan and China......Page 186
18 Foreign challenges, Japanese responses......Page 187
The Japanese react......Page 188
The Japanese act......Page 193
Dealing with diversity......Page 195
19 Japan and China in a modern world......Page 197
Japan: the institutionalisation of change......Page 198
China: continuous revolution......Page 202
Japan: institutional failure and restart......Page 205
Part VIII The future of modern society......Page 208
20 The new politics of modernisation......Page 209
Modernisation theory revisited......Page 210
Modernity and post-modernity......Page 213
A new kind of radicalism......Page 215
Notes......Page 218
Bibliography......Page 243
Index......Page 264