Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP8500
Authors: Quamrul Ashraf; Oded Galor
Abstract: This research argues that deep-rooted factors, determined tens of thousands of years ago, had a significant effect on the course of economic development from the dawn of human civilization to the contemporary era. It advances and empirically establishes the hypothesis that, in the course of the exodus of Homo sapiens out of Africa, variation in migratory distance from the cradle of humankind to various settlements across the globe affected genetic diversity and has had a long-lasting effect on the pattern of comparative economic development that is not captured by geographical, institutional, and cultural factors. In particular, the level of genetic diversity within a society is found to have a hump-shaped effect on development outcomes in both the pre-colonial and the modern era, reflecting the trade-off between the beneficial and the detrimental effects of diversity on productivity. While the intermediate level of genetic diversity prevalent among Asian and European populations has been conducive for development, the high degree of diversity among African populations and the low degree of diversity among Native American populations have been a detrimental force in the development of these regions.
Keywords: comparative development; human genetic diversity; income per capita; land productivity; neolithic revolution; population density; out of the africa hypothesis
JEL Codes: N10; N30; N50; O10; O50; Z10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| migratory distance from East Africa (N97) | genetic diversity (C46) |
| genetic diversity (C46) | economic development outcomes (O29) |
| migratory distance from East Africa (N97) | economic development outcomes (O29) |
| genetic diversity (C46) | population density in 1500 CE (N93) |
| genetic diversity (C46) | inefficiencies and reduced cooperation (D61) |
| increasing Bolivia's diversity to US optimal level (O54) | per capita income (D31) |