The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

Harvard economic historian David Landes spent decades building this sweeping argument: that culture, institutions, openness to science, and the rule of law — not geography or raw resources — explain why some nations became wealthy while others did not. His historical range is extraordinary, stretching from medieval Europe through the Industrial Revolution to the relative decline of China, the Arab world, and Latin America. The writing is accessible for such ambitious scope, and the thesis genuinely challenges readers. The honest caveat is that the argument has been criticized as Eurocentric, and Landes largely sets aside colonialism's role in suppressing non-Western development. Faith audiences may want to engage it critically rather than take its cultural conclusions at face value. Assign it for the argument it makes and the debate it provokes.