Historical Development

Migrants and Life Satisfaction: The Role of the Country of Origin and the Country of Residence

“…With regard to the persistence of life satisfaction, which is related to what we do but which we do not address directly, Hendriks et al (2018) find that the initial happiness levels of migrants tend to remain quite stable over time. Persistence across generations is also indicated by Nunn (2012, 2014) and Helliwell et al (2016b). This arguably indicates that, in addition to present life experiences of the surrounding society, both background cultures and biological inheritance exercise an influence.…”

Historical Instruments and Contemporary Endogenous Regressors

“…For overviews focusing on economic development, seeSpolaore and Wacziarg (2013),Nunn (2014), and Michalopoulos and Papaioannou (2020).2 We also show how to combine our framework with the results ofConley et al (2012) to better understand the contemporaneous relationship between the outcome variable and the endogenous regressor of interest.…”

Is Economics in Genes?

“…The quest for growth determinants in the 2000s has brought out the significant roles played by various non-economic factors in the growth process, like demographics, religion, ethnicity, institutions (both formal and informal), social capital (trust, networks, civil society), geography, biogeography, culture and colonialism (Putnam, 1993;. Many studies have documented the contemporaneous effects of such factors on economic development, and using such non-economic factors, cross-country growth differentials and their sustenance have been explained (Easterly and Levine, 1997;Engerman and Sokoloff, 2000;Nunn, 2009;2014). However, the origin and sustenance of these non-economic factors, especially factors like ancestry, culture and institutions, are historically and geographically determined.…”

“…However, the origin and sustenance of these non-economic factors, especially factors like ancestry, culture and institutions, are historically and geographically determined. Even pre-historic and ancestry factors of populations have contemporaneous impact on the level of current economic development (Ashraf, Galor and Ozak, 2010;Nunn, 2014;Michalopoulos and Papaioannou, 2013). Both deeply rooted historical and geographical factors play crucial roles in technology diffusion and innovations (Olsson and Hibbs, 2005;Putterman, 2008;Spolaore and Wacziarg, 2013).…”