This paper develops the theoretical foundations and the testable implications of the various mechanisms that have been proposed as possible triggers for the demographic transition. Moreover, it examines the empirical validity of each of the theories and their significance for the understanding...

Over the last 50 years, there has been a remarkable convergence in the occupational distribution between white men, women, and blacks. We measure the macroeconomic consequences of this convergence through the prism of a Roy model of occupational choice in which women and blacks face frictions in...

The research explores the effect of industrialization on human capital formation. Exploiting exogenous regional variations in the adoption of steam engines across France, the study establishes that, in contrast to conventional wisdom that views early industrialization as a predominantly...

Über Jahrtausende hinweg entsprach der Lebensstandard fast aller Menschen weltweit mehr oder weniger dem Existenzminimum, bis er Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts drastisch anstieg. Viele Nationen genießen heute beispiellosen Wohlstand, andere haben den Sprung aus der wirtschaftlichen Stagnation noch...