What patterns can be discerned in the distribution of farm sizes across countries and over
time? How does the behavior of individual economic agents interact with the natural …

This paper discusses the three approaches within economic history that utilizes micro-
economic theory to examine institutions, their nature, change, and efficiency: the Neo …

This paper develops the empirical and theoretical case that differences in economic
institutions are the fundamental cause of differences in economic development. We first …

The Great Divergence brings new insight to one of the classic questions of history: Why did
sustained industrial growth begin in Northwest Europe, despite surprising similarities …

What can the great crises of the past teach us about contemporary revolutions? Jack
Goldstone shows the important role of population changes, youth bulges, urbanization, elite …

We examine the impact of ambiguous and contested land rights on investment and
productivity in agriculture in Akwapim, Ghana. We show that individuals who hold powerful …

'A rich and thoughtful book.'History'A magnificent empirical resource accompanied by a
subtle and powerful framework of interpretation... It is not often that historical scholarship is …

In this paper we elaborate a theory of institutional innovation in which changes in the
demand for institutional innovation are induced by changes in relative resource …

Volumes 2A and 2B of The Handbook of Economic Growth summarize recent advances in
theoretical and empirical work while offering new perspectives on a range of growth …

Using a randomized evaluation in Kenya, we measure health impacts of spring protection,
an investment that improves source water quality. We also estimate households' valuation of …