History’s Hockey Stick: Stagnant Income Before Sustained Growth

Capitalism, Causation, and History’s Hockey Stick

Italy's Higher Living Standards in the 14th Century

Pre-1800 GDP Data Scarcity and Its Impact on Historical Graphs

Data Sources for the History's Hockey Stick Graph

Official Caption for Figure 1.1 (History's Hockey Stick)

Global Disparities in Living Standards by 2018

The Foundational Role of Empirical Data in Economics

A graph displays the estimated average income per person for several major countries from the year 1000 to the present. The data shows that for most of this millennium, average incomes were low and changed very little. Then, beginning in the 18th and 19th centuries for some countries, incomes started to rise very rapidly. This overall pattern is often described as a 'hockey stick' shape. Based on this information, what is the most significant analytical conclusion that can be drawn?

Interpreting Historical Economic Data

Based on the general pattern shown in the 'history's hockey stick' graph of GDP per capita, it is accurate to conclude that for most of the countries depicted, the average person's material living standard in the year 1600 was fundamentally similar to that of the year 1200.

Analyzing Economic Divergence

Interpreting Historical Data Visualization

A graph shows the average income per person for a country like Britain from the year 1000 to the present. The graph has a distinct shape. Arrange the following descriptions of the country's economic history in the correct chronological order as depicted by this graph.

A graph of average income per person from the year 1000 to the present for several countries shows a long, flat section followed by a sharp, upward bend. Match each feature or observation from this type of graph to its correct economic interpretation.

A graph of average income per person for a country from the year 1000 to 2018 shows the period before 1700 as a long, nearly flat horizontal line. Which of the following statements provides the most accurate interpretation of this flat portion of the graph?

An economic historian is studying short-term, year-to-year economic volatility (e.g., the impact of a major famine) in a European country during the 15th century. They consult a long-run graph of average income per person from the year 1000 to the present, which depicts the 15th century as part of a long, nearly flat line. Why is this graph likely to be a misleading source for investigating year-to-year volatility during that specific period?

The historical graph of average income per person, which shows a long period of economic stagnation followed by a sudden and sharp increase in growth, is commonly referred to as the 'history's ____ ____' graph.

Based on the general pattern shown in the 'history's hockey stick' graph of GDP per capita, it is accurate to conclude that for most of the countries depicted, the average person's material living standard in the year 1600 was fundamentally similar to that of the year 1200.

Analyzing Economic Divergence