Working Paper: NBER ID: w23617
Authors: Paola Giuliano; Nathan Nunn
Abstract: We examine a determinant of cultural persistence that has emerged from a class of models in evolutionary anthropology: the similarity of the environment across generations. Within these models, when the environment is more similar across generations, the traits that have evolved up to the previous generation are more likely to be optimal for the current generation. In equilibrium, a greater value is placed on tradition and there is greater cultural persistence. We test this hypothesis by measuring the variability of different climatic measures across 20-year generations from 500–1900. Employing a variety of tests, each using different samples and empirical strategies, we find that populations with ancestors who lived in environments with more cross-generational instability place less importance in maintaining tradition today and exhibit less cultural persistence.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: N10; Q54; Z1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Climatic instability across generations (D15) | Importance of tradition today (Z18) |
| Higher ancestral climatic instability (Q54) | Lower importance on tradition (Z18) |
| Descendants of immigrants from variable environments (J11) | Less likelihood of marrying within ancestral group (J12) |
| Descendants of immigrants from variable environments (J11) | Less likely to speak traditional language at home (J15) |
| Indigenous populations from historically unstable climates (N57) | Less likely to speak traditional languages (J15) |
| Higher climatic instability (Q54) | Less persistence in cultural traits such as gender norms and marriage practices (Z13) |