This paper reconstructs Revealed Comparative Advantages (RCA) and Economic Complexity Indices (ECI) for a large number of countries in the second half of the 19th century, by using data from the catalogues of five universal exhibitions held in Paris in 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, and 1900. This...

This paper argues that openness to goods trade in combination with an unequal distribution of political power has been a major determinant of the comparatively slow development of resource- or land-abundant regions like South America and the Caribbean in the nineteenth century. We develop a...

Does international financial integration boost economic growth? The question has been discussed controversially for a long time. As of yet, robust evidence for a positive impact is lacking (Edison et al., 2002). However, there is substantial narrative evidence from economic history that...

This paper empirically analyzes the net effect of trade openness on ‘economic culture,' measured by indicators of trust, respect, level of self-determination, and obedience. Openness to international trade means that societies are more likely to be exposed to alternative attitudes, beliefs,...

This book begins, and perhaps should end, with an excerpt from the writings of the late eminent Chinese scholar, Fung Yu-lan (or Feng Youlan) (1895-1990), who wrote, "The ancient Chinese culture is an inherent factor determining the Chinese style." If the latter enunciation of Fung Yu-lan stirs...

Long-run cross-country price data exhibit a puzzle. Today, richer countries exhibit higher price levels than poorer countries, a stylized fact usually attributed to the Balassa- Samuelson effect. But looking back fifty years, this effect virtually disappears from the data. What is often assumed...