Why geography matters to the economic history of India

Abstract

That geography shapes long‐run economic change is almost an axiom in economic history, but there is neither adequate understanding nor much agreement about how this influence works. This article is an attempt to contextualise Indian economic history against what we now know of this influence. It is also an attempt to define the geographical condition of the South Asia region in a manner compatible with the purpose of economic history, which is to explain the deep roots of economic growth and inequality.

Persistent Effects of Colonial Land Tenure Institutions: Village-Level Evidence from India

“…It is the first to test relevant hypotheses quantitatively using village level data from India. The methodological approach is able to isolate the effect of institutions from other explanations such as the role of the extreme seasonality across the Indian subcontinent (Roy, 2021). Previous research attributed economic inequalities to conflict and its impacts on politics and expenditures at the state level.…”