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Roots of Autocracy

Author

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  • Galor, Oded

    (Brown University)

  • Klemp, Marc

    (University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

Exploiting a novel geo-referenced data set of population diversity across ethnic groups, this research advances the hypothesis and empirically establishes that variation in population diversity across human societies, as determined in the course of the exodus of humans from Africa tens of thousands of years ago, contributed to the differential formation of pre-colonial autocratic institutions within ethnic groups and the emergence of autocratic institutions across countries. Diversity has amplified the importance of institutions in mitigating the adverse effects of non-cohesiveness on productivity, while contributing to the scope for domination, leading to the formation of institutions of the autocratic type.

Suggested Citation

  • Galor, Oded & Klemp, Marc, 2017. "Roots of Autocracy," IZA Discussion Papers 10818, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10818
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Oded Galor & Quamrul Ashraf, 2008. "Human Genetic Diversity and Comparative Economic Development," Working Papers 2008-3, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    2. Stelios Michalopoulos, 2012. "The Origins of Ethnolinguistic Diversity," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1508-1539, June.
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    11. Anastasia Litina, 2014. "The Geographical Origins of Early State Formation," DEM Discussion Paper Series 14-28, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    12. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2005. "Inequality in Landownership, the Emergence of Human-Capital Promoting Institutions, and the Great Divergence," Working Papers 2005-03, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    13. Oded Galor & Omer Moav & Dietrich Vollrath, 2009. "Inequality in Landownership, the Emergence of Human-Capital Promoting Institutions, and the Great Divergence," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(1), pages 143-179.
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    15. Mayshary, Joram & Moav, Omer & Neeman, Zvika & Pascali, Luigi, 2015. "Cereals Appropriability and Hierarchy," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 238, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    16. Alberto Alesina & Paola Giuliano, 2015. "Culture and Institutions," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 53(4), pages 898-944, December.
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    18. Nathan Nunn, 2008. "The Long-term Effects of Africa's Slave Trades," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 123(1), pages 139-176.
    19. Oded Galor & Omer Moav, 2006. "Das Human-Kapital: A Theory of the Demise of the Class Structure," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 73(1), pages 85-117.
    20. Andrea Manica & William Amos & François Balloux & Tsunehiko Hanihara, 2007. "The effect of ancient population bottlenecks on human phenotypic variation," Nature, Nature, vol. 448(7151), pages 346-348, July.
    21. Allen, Robert C., 1997. "Agriculture and the Origins of the State in Ancient Egypt," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 135-154, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vu, Trung V., 2021. "Do genetically fragmented societies respond less to global warming? Diversity and climate change policies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    2. Trung V. Vu, 2021. "Are genetic traits associated with riots? The political legacy of prehistorically determined genetic diversity," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(4), pages 567-595, November.
    3. Emilio Depetris-Chauvin & Ömer Özakz., 2018. "The Origins of the Division of Labor in Pre-modern Times," Documentos de Trabajo 511, Instituto de Economia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile..
    4. Emilio Depetris-Chauvin & Ömer Özak, 2020. "The origins of the division of labor in pre-industrial times," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 297-340, September.
    5. Gründler, Klaus & Köllner, Sebastian, 2020. "Culture, diversity, and the welfare state," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 913-932.
    6. Xue, Melanie Meng & Koyama, Mark, 2018. "Autocratic Rule and Social Capital: Evidence from Imperial China," MPRA Paper 84249, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Alesina, A. & Passalacqua, A., 2016. "The Political Economy of Government Debt," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 2599-2651, Elsevier.
    8. Mario F. Carillo, 2022. "Fascistville: Mussolini’s new towns and the persistence of neo-fascism," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 527-567, December.
    9. Bonick, Matthew & Farfán-Vallespín, Antonio, 2018. "The reversal of fortune, extractive institutions and the historical roots of racism," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 06-2018, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.
    10. Tiago Neves Sequeira & Marcelo Santos & Alexandra Ferreira-Lopes, 2019. "Human capital and genetic diversity," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(3), pages 311-330, September.
    11. Faria, Hugo J. & Montesinos-Yufa, Hugo M. & Morales, Daniel R. & Navarro, Carlos E., 2016. "Unbundling the roles of human capital and institutions in economic development," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 45(S), pages 108-128.
    12. Ang, James B. & Madsen, Jakob B. & Wang, Wen, 2021. "Rice farming, culture and democracy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    13. Carillo, Mario Francesco, 2018. "Fascistville: Mussolini's New Towns and the Persistence of Neo-Fascism," MPRA Paper 96236, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 03 Oct 2019.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    institutions; diversity; economic growth; autocracy; Out-of-Africa Hypothesis of Comparative Development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O43 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Institutions and Growth
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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