Economics Matters by Laurence Kotlikoff Podcast Famed Economic Historian, Gregory Clark, Reveals the Industrial Revolution's Secret Sauce 14 1 1 1× 0:00 Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -56:47 -56:47 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Famed Economic Historian, Gregory Clark, Reveals the Industrial Revolution's Secret Sauce Larry Kotlikoff Jul 31, 2025 14 1 1 Share Transcript This podcast is not to be missed. Greg Clark is a brilliant economic historian with a remarkable, fact-based take on the role of genetics in economic evolution. Genetics is, of course, a dangerous word when used to discuss humans and their success. But genetics, indeed, simply the ability to live longer and procreate better, can make a major difference over the long sweep of economic history. It can also become a marker and sustainer of social status not because of DNA, but cross-generational genetic connections as in "Of course we are going to admit X to Oxbridge. The last ten generations of X's attended Oxbridge." Clark, whose grandfathers were migrants to Scotland from Ireland, was born in Bellshill, Scotland. He attended Holy Cross High School in Hamilton . In 1974 he and fellow pupil Paul Fitzpatrick won the Scottish Daily Express schools debating competition. He earned a BA degree in economics and philosophy at King's College, Cambridge in 1979 and a PhD in economics at Harvard University in 1985. His thesis was supervised by Barry Eichengreen , Jeffrey G. Williamson , and Stephen Marglin . He became an assistant professor at Stanford University from 1985 to 1989 and at the University of Michigan from 1989 to 1990. He moved to the University of California, Davis and became associate professor in 1990 and professor of economics in 1996. He was formerly (until 2013) chair of the economics department at the University of California, Davis and became a distinguished professor emeritus there since 2018. Between 2017 and 2020, Clark was a visiting professor in economic history at the London School of Economics . In 2023, he became the Danish National Research Council professor of economics at the University of Southern Denmark . Clark's areas of research are long-term economic growth, the wealth of nations, the economic history of The Industrial Revolution , England and India, and social mobility. He is also a visiting professor in the Economic History Department at The London School of Economics and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis. Here's the opening of Greg's forthcoming book: For Whom the Bell Curve Tolls: Genetics and Social Life in England, 1600-2025 To what extent are social outcomes such as occupations, income, wealth, longevity, and health socially versus genetically determined? And to what degree can life outcomes be changed by social interventions? Despite generations of research, and armies of social science researchers, these questions remain unresolved. But it is an orthodoxy of modern social science that while there are genetic influences on social outcomes, this influence is modest relative to social factors. Another orthodoxy is that gene-environment interactions are important in determining social outcomes. This book explores these issues in depth, employing a large genealogical data base of 433,000 English people 1600-2025, as well as the detailed records of more than 1.7 million marriages in England 1837-2022. This rich new data suggests strong and surprising conclusions. Social status is much more persistent across generations than conventionally measured. The underlying correlation in status across generations is close to 0.8, implying that even relatives as distant as nine generations apart still show correlation in social status. Subscribe Share Secure Your Retirement! Economic Matters - The podcast is hosted by Laurence Kotlikoff, a Boston University Economist, a NY Times Best Selling Author , President of maxifi.com , and Author of Money Magic . Stay Connected: Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify iHeart Amazon Music Discussion about this episode Comments Restacks Economics Matters by Laurence Kotlikoff Podcast Economics can make a massive difference - collectively and personally. Listen in as we chat with some of the most influential leaders in economics across the globe. Economics can make a massive difference - collectively and personally. Listen in as we chat with some of the most influential leaders in economics across the globe. 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