This article measures Nueva Granada's GDP before its Independence, analyzes its economic growth during 1785-1810 and considers some hypothesis about its continuity in the 19th century, with an ending reference point in 1905. These measures are used to make international comparisons with other...

What is the long-term impact of pre-colonial ethnic institutions? I examine the consequences of the fragmentation of local indigenous communities produced by Spanish rule in Mexico. To do this I make use of unique data from 18th century pueblos — the basis of modern-day counties — to study...

How an empire that seemed cohesive for hundreds of years could easily fragment in a decade? I present a simple computational model of Spain's political economy and do some simulations that could help explain the rationale behind such system. I also provide an analytical narrative in which I...

The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between the nominations for seats in the Cabildo of Buenos Aires between 1776 and 1810, and the network status of council individuals and families. We test hypothesis on the importance of networks metrics of elite individuals and families with...

The study attempts to highlight the interrelation between three central points in the ongoing debate on the political economy of development: viability, surplus, and class-formation. A case study of the development of rural labour systems in Northern Nigeria is meant to provide both a better...

Dutch settlements on the coastal plain locked Guyana into polder agriculture and inadvertently a small widely dispersed population. The former requires high cost for drainage, irrigation and agricultural production. The latter implies the high costs – including the cost of infrastructure –...