At the start of the second millenium, Christian Europe and the Muslim Middle East were at comparable levels of economic development.  However, over the course of the next several centuries, Europe raced ahead of Muslim societies, eventually developing the institutions that led to the Industrial Revolution and modern capitalism.  Timur Kuran, professor of economics and political science and the Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, explains what happened.  Based on his forthcoming book The Long Divergence (due out in November 2010), Prof. Kuran shows how Islamic Law — specifically inheritance law — impacted the the institutional development of the Middle East in ways that made it difficult to pool financial capital and business expertise that could give rise to corporations and larger economic projects.   This system is contrasted with various European inheritance schemes, most notably primogeniture, that allowed for the creation of large economic enterprises that could take advantage of economies of scale.  Other explanations for the economic divergence between the Middle East and Europe are also discussed.  We conclude with a brief discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of communalism and individualism, the former tending to predominate in the Middle East.  Recorded: July 14, 2010.

RELATED LINKS

Timur Kuran’s website at Duke University.

The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East by Timur Kuran.

Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification by Timur Kuran.

Islam & Mammon: The Economic Predicaments of Islamism by Timur Kuran.

---

6 Responses to “Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development”

1. Research On Religion | Jared Rubin on Christian and Islamic Economic History says:

   November 28, 2011 at 3:02 am

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]

2. Research On Religion | Timur Kuran on Islamic Economics says:

   January 9, 2012 at 4:02 am

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]

3. Research On Religion | Mark Koyama on the Economics of Jewish Expulsions says:

   July 21, 2013 at 4:00 am

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]

4. Research On Religion | Charles North on Religion, Economic Development, and Rule of Law says:

   April 20, 2014 at 12:26 pm

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]

5. Research On Religion | Charles North on Religion, Economic Development, and Rule of Law (Encore Presentation) says:

   April 15, 2018 at 12:08 pm

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]

6. Charles North on Religion, Economic Development, and Rule of Law (Encore Presentation) – All Science by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis,Anapafseos 5 Agios Nikolaos 72100 Crete Greece,00306932607174,00302841026182,alsfakia@gmail.com says:

   April 15, 2018 at 1:54 pm

   […] Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development. […]