On the Origins of Modern East Asia: Knowledge and the Economic Transformation of Japan and China in the late 19th century

Debin Ma, Jared Rubin and Yin Weiwen

No 21273, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper revisits the old thesis of the contrasting paths of modernization between Japan and China. It develops a new analytical framework regarding the role of knowledge acquisition (propositional vs. prescriptive) and political centralization as the key drivers behind these contrasting paths. Our model and historical data highlight how the introduction of these elements contributed to Meiji Japan’s decisive turn towards the West and Qing China’s lethargic response to Western imperialism. Our analytical framework, developed from a comparative historical narrative and quantitative data, sheds new insights onto the importance of knowledge acquisition for enabling developing countries to reach the world’s economic frontier.

Date: 2026-03
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