Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP12909
Authors: Paola Giuliano; Nathan Nunn
Abstract: We construct a database, with global coverage, that providesmeasures of the cultural and environmental characteristics ofthe pre-industrial ancestors of the world’s current populations. Inthis paper, we describe the construction of the database, includingthe underlying data, the procedure to produce the estimates, and thestructure of the final data. We then provide illustrations of some of thevariation in the data and provide an illustration of how the data can beused.
Keywords: historical development; persistence; cultural traits; political institutions
JEL Codes: N00; Z10; Z13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| average preindustrial characteristics of ancestors (N53) | current economic performance (E66) |
| ancestral traits (B15) | current economic performance (E66) |
| language spoken by current populations (J11) | transmission of ancestral traits (Z13) |
| historical geographic conditions (N50) | modern economic development (O29) |
| distance from the equator (N96) | modern economic development (O29) |
| terrain ruggedness (R14) | modern economic development (O29) |