Climate and the Emergence of Global Income Differences

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Andersen, Thomas Barnebeck; Dalgaard, Carl-Johan; Selaya, Pablo
• 署名单位: University of Southern Denmark; University of Copenhagen
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6527
• DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdw006
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 1334-1363
• 关键词: ultraviolet-radiation; economic-development; life expectancy; cataract; GROWTH; institutions; population; disease; epidemiology; TECHNOLOGY

摘要

The latitude gradient in comparative development is a striking fact: as one moves away from the equator, economic activity rises. While this regularity is well known, it is not well understood. Perhaps the strongest correlate of ( absolute) latitude is the intensity of ultraviolet radiation (UV-R), which epidemiological research has shown to be a cause of a wide range of diseases. We establish that UV-R is strongly and negatively correlated with economic activity, both across and within countries. We propose and test a mechanism that links UV-R to current income differences via the impact of disease ecology on the timing of the take-off to sustained growth.