Resumen de A Model of Social Progress

Andrey Alexakha

• The discussion of the model of social progress is divided into four parts. The first part sketches the features of the theoretical model.

  Since the basic element is the law of diminishing returns to land, the second part compares labour productivity in successive stages of intensification of agriculture, using the time budget method. In the third part, three examples of historical regression are examined from the vantage point of view of the theory proposed. The three cases have important features in common, providing insight into a possible common cause of historical regression. In the fourth part the theory is applied in a brief analysis of the history of Italy. The rise and decline of ancient Rome is explained. The decline of the Western Empire shares a number of features with other cases of historical regression. In considering subsequent events, in the Middle Ages and early modern times, the emphasis is on the causes, according to our model, of two overarching developments in Italian history: the country’s emergence as Europe’s leading economic and cultural center and the subsequent halt to development and Italy’s lag with respect to other countries