Using the demand side approach we construct a new set of estimates
of per capita agricultural output and per capita GDP for England over
the period 1250-1850. Our estimates of per capita GDP suggest that the
pattern of long run growth of the English economy can be interpreted
with a periodization in three historical stages. The first stage, covering
the period 1250-1580, is a Malthusian phase with no positive growth. The
second stage, comprising the period 1580-1780, is an intermediate phase
where the English economy is able to relax some of the Malthusian constraints,
attaining a positive growth rate (although our estimate of the
growth rate for this period is lower than that proposed by Maddison and
more recently by Broadberry, Campbell, Klein, Overton and van Leeuwen).
The third stage covering the post 1780 period is represented by the
industrial revolution and by the definitive consolidation of a development
pattern characterized by a steady positive growth rate.