This is Part 1 of a two-part paper which surveys the historical evidence on the role of institutions in economic growth. The paper provides a critical scrutiny of a number of stylized facts widely accepted in the growth literature. It shows that private-order institutions have not historically...

This is Part 2 of a two-part paper which surveys the historical evidence on the role of institutions in economic growth. The paper provides a critical scrutiny of a number of stylized facts widely accepted in the growth literature. It shows that private-order institutions have not historically...

We investigate how the colonial strategy through the settlement decision aected French trade patterns. In this regard, we construct a new database relying on various primary histori- cal sources containing information on the value of French sectoral trade between 1880 and 1913. Our results show...

This paper analizes the impact of the globalization of Mediterranean horticultural products (MHP). From 1850 onwards, the Mediterranean countries took advantage of the new opportunities that arose to increase their production and trade in MHP. The Spanish case shows how the high elasticity of...

Liquorice root has been dug up and traded for centuries in a Euro-Asiatic belt stretching from the Iberic Peninsula to Eastern China. In this area it was possible to distinguish three different cultural traditions and markets: the Mediterranean and Middle East one, the Indian and the Chinese,...

The objective of this study is to determine the causes of the loss of share of agricultural products and food in international trade. The article compares, using a gravity model, the impact of various factors upon bilateral trade in agricultural products, in manufactures and in total trade,...

OIL AS AN ENERGY PROPELLER, IS THE LARGEST INTERNATIONALLY TRADED COMMODITY THAT SHOWS HIGHLY VISIBLE INTERPLAY OF POLITICS AND ECONOMICS IN THE DETERMINATION OF ITS INVESTMENT, PRODUCTION, TRADE AND PRICING POLICIES. THIS UNIQUENESS, NO DOUBT DEMANDS A WELL ARTICULATED OIL POLICY FOR AN OIL...