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The Macrogenoeconomics of Comparative Development

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Abstract

The importance of evolutionary forces for comparative economic performance across societies has been the focus of a vibrant literature, highlighting the roles played by the Neolithic Revolution and the prehistoric "out of Africa" migration of anatomically modern humans in generating worldwide variations in the composition of human traits. This essay provides an overview of the literature on the macrogenoeconomics of comparative development, underscoring the significance of evolutionary processes and of human population diversity in generating differential paths of economic development across societies. Furthermore, it examines the contribution of a recent hypothesis set forth by Nicholas Wade, regarding the evolutionary origins of comparative development, to this important line of research.

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  • Quamrul H. Ashraf & Oded Galor, 2016. "The Macrogenoeconomics of Comparative Development," Department of Economics Working Papers 2016-02, Department of Economics, Williams College, revised Apr 2018.
    • Handle: RePEc:wil:wileco:2016-02
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Comparative development; human evolution; natural selection; genes; race; the out of Africa hypothesis; genetic diversity; interpersonal diversity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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