Yes, sound political and social institutions are the bedrock of sustained economic growth; indeed, they are the sine qua non of all cases of successful development. But Europe’s long history of exploitative colonialism makes it hard to guess how Asian and African institutions would have evolved in a parallel universe where Europeans came only to trade, not to conquer.
道德优越感吁求——以证明出生在西方就能享受如此多优势是合理的——也无助于解决问题。诚然，可靠的政治和社会制度和机构是持续经济增长的基石；事实上，它们是一切成功发展的必要条件。但欧洲的长期掠夺性殖民主义史让人们很难猜测，如果欧洲人带来的只是贸易而没有征服，亚洲和非洲的制度和机构会发展成怎样。