Journal of Economic Literature
Book Reviews
2026-08-28
Stanley Engerman of U of Rochester reviews “Among Empires: American Ascendancy and Its Predecessors” by Charles S. Maier,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Explores the history, structure, and impact of empires since antiquity and asks whether the United States shares their traits and behavior. Discusses the basics of what an empire is. Studies borders as decisive sites of imperial politics. Examines the problem of violence and war with respect to empire. Investigates frontiers and forces in the Cold War. Describes the relationship between empire, economics, and production. Explores the way America manages its overlapping supranational economic structures of information and consumption and the way this has carried American power into the twenty-first century. Maier is Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard University. Index.”