According to the latest figures from the United Nations,1 the number of migrants throughout the world has more than doubled since 1975. At the turn of this new century it is reported to stand at around 175 million persons (including refugees), or 2.9% of the global population. Still largely from...

We analyze the relationship between inequality and economic growth from two directions. The first part of the survey examines the effect of inequality on growth, showing that when capital markets are imperfect, there is not necessarily a trade-off between equity and efficiency. It therefore...

Using local administrative data from 1826 to 1936, we document the evolution of crime rates in 19th century France and we estimate the impact of a negative income shock on crime. Our identification strategy exploits the phylloxera crisis. Between 1863 and 1890, phylloxera destroyed about 40% of...