Eric Jones (born 21 September 1936) is a British-Australian economist and historian, known for his 1981 book '' The European Miracle''. Jones received a doctorate in

economic history Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...

from the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. From 1970 to 1975, he was professor of economics at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in United States. From 1975 to 1994 he was a professor of economics and economics history at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

, in Australia. Jones has also had visiting appointments at Yale, Manchester, Princeton, University of Berlin and the Center for Economic Studies at Munich. As of the early 2000s, he is Emeritus Professor of Economic Systems and Ideas at La Trobe University, and he holds a half-time Professorial Fellow position at the

Melbourne Business School Melbourne Business School (MBS) is the graduate business school of the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The School offers an MBA program, specialist Masters programs, a doctoral program, and executive education programs. The MBS Hea ...

of the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

in Australia and the part-time Professor of Economics position at the Graduate Center of International Business of the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Jones has also acted as a consultant for businesses and international organizations such as the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

.Professor Eric Jones
, Melbourne Business School

Work

Eric Jones specialized in

, global economics,

international affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

and

economic systems An economic system, or economic order, is a system of production, resource allocation and distribution of goods and services within a society or a given geographic area. It includes the combination of the various institutions, agencies, entitie ...

, particularly in those of the Asian-Pacific region. Eric Jones is the author of numerous articles and several books. His most notable work is '' The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia'' book (published in 1981). The work popularized the term

European miracle The Great Divergence or European miracle is the socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how mod ...

, but it also proved controversial, with some scholars describing his interpretation as 'Eurocentric'. In ''Growth Recurring'' (1988) Jones focused on the states system theory as the decisive factor in the development of the West.

Bibliography

Books

*''The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia'', Cambridge University Press 1981 *''Growth Recurring'' (1988) *''Cultures Merging: a historical and economic critique of culture'' (2006)

Book reviews

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Eric 1936 births Living people British economists Australian economists British historians Australian historians Economic historians Quadrant (magazine) people Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford Fellows of Nuffield College, Oxford