I forget the name of the economist/econ.historian, but he got invited to meet with the Politboro(!) of China. He thought it might be about policy, but they want

I forget the name of the economist/econ.historian, but he got invited to meet with the Politboro(!) of China. He thought it might be about policy, but they wanted to know about what he knew about why the British government did not fall in the 1870s.