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Climatic Conditions and Productivity : An Impact Evaluation in Pre-industrial England

Author

Listed:
  • Stéphane Auray

    (ENSAI)

  • Aurélien Eyquem

    (Université de Lyon)

  • Frédéric Jouneau-Sion

    (Université de Lille)

Abstract

In this paper, we bridge economic data and climatic time series to assess the vulnerability of a pre-industrial economy to changes in climatic conditions. We propose an economic model to extract a measure of total productivity from English data (real wages and land rents) in the pre-industrial period. This measure of total productivity is then related to temperatures and precipitations. We find that lower (respectively higher) than average precipitations (respectively temperatures) enhance productivity. Further, temperatures have non-linear effects on productivity: large temperature variations lower productivity. Quantitatively, a permanent two degree rise in temperatures lowers the level of productivity by more than 22%, and production by more than 26%. This historical impact evaluation may serve as an informative benchmark for currently under-developed economies in front of the upcoming climatic change

Suggested Citation

  • Stéphane Auray & Aurélien Eyquem & Frédéric Jouneau-Sion, 2012. "Climatic Conditions and Productivity : An Impact Evaluation in Pre-industrial England," Working Papers 2012-31, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    • Handle: RePEc:crs:wpaper:2012-31
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Olivier Damette & Claude Diebolt & Stephane Goutte & Umberto Triacca, 2020. "Cliometrics of Climate Change: A Natural Experiment on the Little Ice Age," Working Papers 02-20, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    2. Olivier Damette & Claude Diebolt & Stephane Goutte & Umberto Triacca, 2020. "Cliometrics of Climate Change," Working Papers hal-03215675, HAL.
    3. Gallic, Ewen & Vermandel, Gauthier, 2017. "Weather Shocks, Climate Change and Business Cycles," MPRA Paper 81230, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. José L. Martínes-González, 2015. "Did Climate Change Influence English Agricultural Development? (1645-1740)," Working Papers 0075, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Climatic conditions TFP shocks; land rent;

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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