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Cereals, Appropriability and Hierarchy

Author

Listed:
  • Mayshar, Joram

    (Department of Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

  • Moav, Omer

    (Department of Economics University of Warwick, School of Economics Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya,)

  • Neeman, Zvika

    (Eitan Berglas School of Economics, Tel-Aviv University,)

  • Luigi Pascali

    (Pompeu Fabra University, University of Warwick and CAGE)

Abstract

We propose that the development of social hierarchy following the Neolithic Revolution was due to the ability of the emergent elite to appropriate crops from farmers, rather than a result of increased productivity, as usually maintained. Since cereals are easier to appropriate than roots and tubers, we argue that regional variations in the suitability of land for the cultivation of these different crop types can account for differences in the formation of hierarchies and states. Our empirical investigation supports a causal effect of the cultivation of cereals on hierarchy, and the lack of a similar effect of land productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Mayshar, Joram & Moav, Omer & Neeman, Zvika & Luigi Pascali, 2016. "Cereals, Appropriability and Hierarchy," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1130, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wrk:warwec:1130
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ethnographic Atlas
      by Masa in Devecondata on 2016-05-04 19:12:00

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    2. Jesús Fernández-Villaverde & Mark Koyama & Youhong Lin & Tuan-Hwee Sng, 2023. "The Fractured-Land Hypothesis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 138(2), pages 1173-1231.
    3. Mayshar, Joram & Moav, Omer & Neeman, Zvika, 2017. "Geography, Transparency, and Institutions," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(3), pages 622-636, August.
    4. Giampaolo Lecce & Laura Ogliari & Tommaso Orlando, 2017. "Resistance to Institutions and Cultural Distance: Brigandage in Post-Unification Italy," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 2097R, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University, revised Dec 2017.
    5. Gerritse, Michiel, 2021. "Does trade cause detrimental specialization in developing economies? Evidence from countries south of the Suez Canal," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    6. Athey, Susan & Calvano, Emilio & Jha, Saumitra, 2016. "A Theory of Community Formation and Social Hierarchy," Research Papers 3467, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    7. Oded Galor & Marc Klemp, 2015. "Roots of Autocracy," Working Papers 2015-7, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    8. Ang, James B. & Fredriksson, Per G., 2017. "Wheat agriculture and family ties," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 236-256.
    9. Mehrdad Vahabi, 2017. "A critical survey of the resource curse literature through the appropriability lens," Working Papers hal-01583559, HAL.
    10. Veselov, D., 2017. "Theory of Economic Growth: New Methods and Opportunities," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 176-181.
    11. Oded Galor & Viacheslav Savitskiy, 2018. "Climatic Roots of Loss Aversion," NBER Working Papers 25273, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Oana Borcan & Ola Olsson & Louis Putterman, 2018. "State history and economic development: evidence from six millennia," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-40, March.
    13. Thomas E. Currie & Peter Turchin & Edward Turner & Sergey Gavrilets, 2020. "Duration of agriculture and distance from the steppe predict the evolution of large-scale human societies in Afro-Eurasia," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, December.
    14. Zhu, J., 2018. "The agricultural root of innovation in China," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277219, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Stelios Michalopoulos & Melanie Meng Xue, 2021. "Folklore," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(4), pages 1993-2046.
    16. Ang, James B. & Madsen, Jakob B. & Wang, Wen, 2021. "Rice farming, culture and democracy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    17. Mehrdad Vahabi, 2017. "A critical survey of the resource curse literature through the appropriability lens," CEPN Working Papers hal-01583559, HAL.
    18. Dittmar, Jeremiah & Meisenzahl, Ralf R, 2017. "State Capacity and Public Goods: Institutional Change, Human Capital, and Growth in Historic Germany," CEPR Discussion Papers 12037, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. Hugh-Jones, David & Perroni, Carlo, 2017. "The logic of costly punishment reversed: Expropriation of free-riders and outsiders," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 112-130.
    20. Mehrdad Vahabi, 2018. "The resource curse literature as seen through the appropriability lens: a critical survey," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 175(3), pages 393-428, June.
    21. Ernesto Dal Bó & Pablo Hernández & Sebastián Mazzuca, 2015. "The Paradox of Civilization: Pre-Institutional Sources of Security and Prosperity," NBER Working Papers 21829, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Stelios Michalopoulos & Elias Papaioannou, 2020. "Historical Legacies and African Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 58(1), pages 53-128, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Geography ; Hierarchy ; Institutions ; State Capacity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • H10 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - General
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth

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