Population resources theory: The reason why China led the world for more than a thousand years before the Industrial Revolution and was later overtaken by Europe was because China was limited by its large population and lack of resources. Because of China's large population, it had to make every effort to develop agricultural technology. By the time of the European Industrial Revolution, China's farming technology was far ahead of Europe, including multiple cropping, irrigation, dense planting, improvements in farming tools, etc. However, the benefits brought by the improvement of agricultural technology are completely swallowed up by the new round of population growth; and population growth further drives the improvement of agricultural technology. In this way, China maintained a huge population at a high level of agriculture. On the contrary, the development of China's industry is constrained by limited resources.
Theory of obstruction by great powers: The Greeks thought about matter and nature from the perspective of human thinking, including atomic theory, although this is very different from modern atomic theory. It can be said that Greek philosophy is the product of speculation. It thinks about problems from pure logic and is a doctrine about nature. Therefore, why the Greeks were able to make great contributions in mathematics and geometry. This is related to their location in a corner, at the center of the intersection of multiple cultures. As we all know, Greece is on the Aegean Sea. There are many nearby islands around it, and transportation is very convenient.
Looking at this, we are almost very hopeful now.
System deficiency theory: Modern research on the history of technology and institutional changes, and theories on the relationship between technological progress and institutional arrangements, have long denied the relationship between productivity and production relations, and the relationship between economic base and superstructure. mechanical understanding. North and Thomas' famous book "The Rise of the Western World" pointed out: The reason why Western Europe first experienced rapid economic development and rapid growth in per capita income after the 18th century was because these countries had more effective economic organizations and laws to protect the security of personal property. system, and this relatively complete economic organization is the result of long-term evolution over nearly a thousand years since the Middle Ages. Among them, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom performed particularly well. The reason is that the residents here have the ability to resist the oppression, monopoly and expropriation of local political, religious or urban guild forces better than those in Spain, France and other places in Europe, so their wealth and property are relatively secure. , and can run the business relatively freely.
American economists Rosenberg and Bozell Jr., who are famous for studying the history of technological development, used exact historical facts to show in their book "The Road to Wealth in the West: The Economic Evolution of Industrialized Countries" : In terms of science and technology, until the 15th century, China and Arab countries were obviously higher than Western Europe. However, Western countries soon caught up and greatly surpassed Eastern countries economically. The reason is that Western Europe established a system in the middle and late Middle Ages that was conducive to continuous innovation. social mechanism. The occurrence of the industrial revolution in the early 19th century was based on a growth system. This growth system was gradually formed during the commercial revolution in the late Middle Ages. For example, double-entry bookkeeping was invented in the 13th century, and the company system emerged in the early 17th century. Without this kind of institutional change, the industrial revolution would not have happened. Therefore, it can be said that the industrial revolution is actually a direct consequence of the commercial revolution. The conclusion is: if we are enthusiastic about developing my country's high-tech industry, we should first be enthusiastic about implementing various reform measures and establishing an economic and social system that is conducive to the development of high-tech and related industries. Only such institutional arrangements are the most powerful driving force for technological progress and the development of high-tech industries. This is our "Wu Market" view, and we think it makes sense.