Anthropologists have long documented substantial and persistent differences across social groups in the preferences and taboos for particular foods. One natural question to ask is whether such food cultures matter in an economic sense. In particular, can culture constrain caloric intake and...

We investigate the role of national institutions on subnational African development in a novel framework that accounts both for local geography and cultural-genetic traits. We exploit the fact that the political boundaries in the eve of African independence partitioned more than two hundred...

This research develops an evolutionary growth theory that captures the intricate time path of life expectancy in the process of development, shedding new light on the origin of the remarkable rise in life expectancy since the Agricultural Revolution. The theory argues that social, economic and...

DEVELOPMENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE FACING THE HUMAN RACE BUT THE PROCESSES DRIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARE BY NO MEANS FULLY UNDERSTOOD. HOWEVER, THE CORE CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT IS TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE WORK AND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. THIS CHALLENGE...

DEVELOPMENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGE FACING THE HUMAN RACE BUT THE PROCESSES DRIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARE BY NO MEANS FULLY UNDERSTOOD. HOWEVER, THE CORE CHALLENGE FOR DEVELOPMENT IS TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE WORK AND A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD. THIS CHALLENGE...

Why was the Black Death followed by the decline of serfdom in Western Europe but its' intensification in Eastern Europe? What explains why involvement in Atlantic trade in the Early Modern period was positively correlated with economic growth in Britain but negatively correlated in Spain? Why...

Global climate change poses a threat to the well-being of humans and other living things through impacts on ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, capital productivity, and human health. This paper briefly surveys recent research on the economics of climate change, including theoretical insights...