10.17889/E109674V1
Ashraf, Quamrul
Galor, Oded
Replication data for: The 'Out of Africa' Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, and Comparative Economic Development
ICPSR Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
2013
10.1257/aer.103.1.1
10.1257/aer.103.1.1
1
This research advances and empirically establishes the hypothesis
that, in the course of the prehistoric exodus of Homo sapiens out of
Africa, variation in migratory distance to various settlements across
the globe affected genetic diversity and has had a persistent hump-shaped effect on comparative economic development, reflecting the trade-off between the beneficial and the detrimental effects of diversity on productivity. While the low diversity of Native American populations and the high diversity of African populations have been detrimental for the development of these regions, the intermediate levels of diversity associated with European and Asian populations have been conducive for development. (JEL N10, N30, N50, O10, O50, Z10)