Working Paper: NBER ID: w27414
Authors: Juan Morenocruz; M. Scott Taylor
Abstract: This paper develops a theory where access to food and fuel energy is critical to the location, number, and size of human settlements. By combining our theory with a simple Malthusian mechanism, we generate predictions for the distribution of economic activity and population across geographic space. We evaluate the model using data drawn from the very first census undertaken in the English language - the Domesday census - commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086 A.D. Using G.I.S. data and techniques we find strong evidence that Malthusian forces determined the population size and the number of settlements in Domesday England.
Keywords: Malthusian forces; settlement dynamics; Domesday census; medieval England; food and fuel economy
JEL Codes: Q4; R12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Settlement Income (E25) | Settlement Population (R23) |
| Abundance of Arable Land (Q15) | Settlement Population (R23) |
| Area of a Hundred (C21) | Number of Settlements (R23) |
| Settlement Income (holding composition constant) (E25) | Geographic Size of Settlements (R12) |
| Settlement Income (E25) | Settlement Density (R23) |
| Abundance of Arable Land (Q15) | Settlement Density (R23) |