This paper proposes that ancestral use of irrigation reduces contemporary female labor force participation and female property rights. We test this hypothesis using an exogenous measure of irrigation and data from the Afrobarometer, cross-country data, the European Social Survey, the American...

This study establishes a strong association between the country-level female-to-male sex ratio at birth and the time elapsed from a society transitioned to sedentary agricultural activities (the Neolithic Revolution) until 1500AD. This association is robust to the inclusion of various...

This paper studies the effect of former colonies having inherited British common law vs. civil law on the incidence of slum dwelling in developing countries. While common law favors decentralized markets and stronger property rights, civil law yields more government regulation and weaker...

This paper hypothesizes that inherent agricultural land productivity explains contemporary levels of autocracy and democracy. In particular, intermediate levels of productivity are associated with democracy, whereas a legacy of either low or high agricultural productivity is associated with...

Historical evidence indicates that the quest for new territories by the Western European colonizers was driven by a strong incentive to produce sugar, tea, timber, and other commodities. Once arrived, settlers also had a clear interest in becoming self-sufficient in food. This paper establishes...

This paper proposes that ancestral use of irrigation reduces contemporary female labor force participation and female property rights. We test this hypothesis using an exogenous measure of irrigation and data from the Afrobarometer, cross-country data, the European Social Survey, the American...