Paper #1185

Title:

Malthusian dynamism and the rise of Europe: Make war, not love

Authors:

Joachim Voth and Nico Voigtländer

Date:

May 2009

Abstract:

This paper argues that Malthusian regimes are capable of sustained changes in per capita incomes. Shifting mortality and fertility schedules can lead to different steady-state income levels, with long periods of growth during the transition. Europe checked the downward pressure on wages through late marriage, which reduced fertility, and a mortality regime that combined high death rates with high incomes. We argue that both emerged as a result of the Black Death.

Keywords:

Growth, Comparative Development, Technological Progress, Demographic Transition, Diversity, Human Capital, Malthusian Stagnation, Black Death

JEL codes:

J11, N33, N93, R11, R23

Area of Research:

Economic and Business History

Published in:

American Economic Review. Papers and Proceedings, May 2009, 99 (2), pp. 248-254.

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