The Out of Africa Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, and Comparative Economic Development

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ashraf, Quamrul; Galor, Oded
• 署名单位: Williams College; Brown University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.1.1
• 发表日期: 2013
• 页码: 1-46
• 关键词: institutions; geography; GROWTH; diffusion; origin

摘要

This research advances and empirically establishes the hypothesis that, in the course of the prehistoric exodus of Homo sapiens out of Africa, variation in migratory distance to various settlements across the globe affected genetic diversity and has had a persistent hump-shaped effect on comparative economic development, reflecting the trade-off between the beneficial and the detrimental effects of diversity on productivity. While the low diversity of Native American populations and the high diversity of African populations have been detrimental for the development of these regions, the intermediate levels of diversity associated with European and Asian populations have been conducive for development. (JEL N10, N30, N50, O10, O50, Z10)