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The Neolithic Revolution from a price-theoretic perspective

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  • Guzmán, Ricardo Andrés

Abstract

The adoption of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago, triggered the first demographic explosion in human history. When fertility fell back to its original level, early farmers found themselves worse fed than the previous hunter-gatherers, and worked longer hours to make ends meet. I develop a dynamic, price-theoretic model with endogenous fertility that rationalises these events. The results are driven by the reduction in the cost of children that followed the adoption of agriculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Guzmán, Ricardo Andrés, 2008. "The Neolithic Revolution from a price-theoretic perspective," MPRA Paper 10069, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:10069
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    Cited by:

    1. Chu, Angus C. & Xu, Rongxin, 2024. "From Neolithic Revolution to industrialization," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(3), pages 699-717, April.
    2. Jean-Pascal Bassino & Masanori Takashima, 2014. "Paying the price for spiritual enlightenment: tax pressure and living standards in Kofun and Asuka-Nara, Japan (c.300-794 AD)," Working Papers 14001, Economic History Society.
    3. Rowthorn, Robert & Seabright, Paul, 2010. "Property Rights, Warfare and the Neolithic Transition," TSE Working Papers 10-207, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    4. Rohan Dutta & David K. Levine & Nicholas W. Papageorge & Lemin Wu, 2018. "Entertaining Malthus: Bread, Circuses, And Economic Growth," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 56(1), pages 358-380, January.
    5. Quamrul Ashraf & Stelios Michalopoulos, 2015. "Climatic Fluctuations and the Diffusion of Agriculture," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 97(3), pages 589-609, July.
    6. Clement Allan Tisdell & Serge Svizzero, 2017. "Optimization Theories of the Transition from Foraging to Agriculture: A Critical Assessment and Proposed Alternatives," Post-Print hal-02145490, HAL.
    7. Clement Allan Tisdell & Serge Svizzero, 2016. "Different Behavioral Explanations of the Neolithic Transition from Foraging to Agriculture: A Review," Working Papers hal-02147758, HAL.
    8. Tisdell, Clem & Svizzero, Serge, 2015. "The Failure of Neoclassical Economics Modelling and Human Behavioural Ecology to Satisfactorily Explain the Evolution of Neolithic Society," Economic Theory, Applications and Issues Working Papers 197550, University of Queensland, School of Economics.
    9. Serge Svizzero, 2014. "Pre-Neolithic Economy," Post-Print hal-02152612, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Paleoeconomics; Neolithic Revolution; hunter-gatherers; Malthus;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics
    • N5 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries

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