Was the Wealth of Nations Determined in 1000 BC?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Comin, Diego; Easterly, William; Gong, Erick
• 署名单位: Harvard University; National Bureau of Economic Research; New York University; University of California System; University of California Berkeley
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MACROECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7707
• DOI: 10.1257/mac.2.3.65
• 发表日期: 2010
• 页码: 65-97
• 关键词: technology; GROWTH; geography; ORGANIZATION; institutions; population; WORLD

摘要

We assemble a dataset on technology adoption in 1000 BC, 0 AD, and 1500 AD for the predecessors to today's nation states. Technological differences are surprisingly persistent over long periods of time. Our most interesting, strong, and robust results are for the association of 1500 AD technology with per capita income and technology adoption today. We also find robust and significant technological persistence from 1000 BC to 0 AD, and front 0 AD to 1500 AD. The evidence is consistent with a model where the cost of adopting new technologies declines sufficiently with the current level of adoption. (JEL N10, O33, O47)