St. Louis Fed, Report:  From Ye Olde Stagnation to Modern Growth in England

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“Modern economic growth—the sustained increase of real gross domestic product (real GDP) per capita—is a relatively recent phenomenon in world history. But what led an economy to transition from stag­nation to modern growth? Population and land availability contributed to the shift, but in what ways?”

“In this essay, I describe the ‘pre-modern growth period’ of England’s history and its transition to modern growth. I document population and GDP trends surrounding the Black Death pandemic of the early 14th century and the role of technological progress, specifically in agriculture.”