What else might explain the rapid rise in living standards in most countries over the last couple centuries? Why have living standards failed to rise in some countries?

Possible prompts: How are you better off (or worse off) than your parents, your grandparents, or your great-grandparents? What explains the hockey stick figures in Unit 1? Did capitalism cause of the permanent technological revolution? What else might explain the rapid rise in living standards in most countries over the last couple centuries? Why have living standards failed to rise in some countries? How do capitalist economies rely on non-capitalist institutions? How does capitalism differ from feudalism and socialism? Is capitalism responsible for rising inequality and/or climate change?