Revised article outline for Environmental Determinism
editEcological and geographic drivers of early state formation
edit- See also: Guns, Germs, and Steel and Jared Diamond.
- Kevin will develop this piece.
- See also: Jeffrey Herbst. [Create new book summary article.]
- Will look for scholarly responses and criticism surrounding this book.
Explores how African leaders (across time) react when faced with certain geographic constraints. (Herbst takes those constraints as given. Sends us to Diamond's book to learn how those constraints arose.) Argues that some continuity exists between pre-colonial and post-colonial decisions and institutional structures in Africa. Explains the differences between the African and European state systems. (State centralization vexed in Africa: Center-periphery dynamic different. Capitals dragged to the coast by Europeans. Because low-density populations, war-making for territory not as imperative.)
- Kevin will develop this piece.
Accounts of how geography/initial conditions influenced the evolution of institutions
edit- See also: Barrington Moore, Jr. [Book summary there included. Revise.]
- Status: Requested BorrowDirect
Nugent and Robison (N&R) argue that Moore tries to explain political differences via agrarian institutions. N&R hold the reverse: political differences (namely, how the elite class is structured) determine coffee export institutions.
- See also: Stanley Engerman and Kenneth Sokoloff. [The Engerman article as a section devoted to his work with Sokoloff.]
- Status: Requested BorrowDirect
- Kevin will develop this piece.
- See also: David Landes and The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. [Update/revise book summary.]
- Status: Requested BorrowDirect
- Kevin will develop this piece.
A case study of how geography can impact development. In Africa, rugged terrain afforded protection to those who would have otherwise been enslaved during the slave trade. Ruggedness is thus correlated with increased income in Africa, even though rugged terrain hinders other productive activities (growing crops, projecting power, easy transport of goods). Ruggedness negatively affects income globally.
A summary of direct effects of geography on development
edit- Most of the information under the current "Facets" heading should be incorporated here. Fact-checking and copy-editing required.
- Both of the following working papers are highly descriptive.
Examines correlations between climate (ecozones), water navigability, and economic development and GDP per capita.
The current Wikipedia article for Environmental determinism describes the findings from this article in detail, but without the article's context. Confer with Professor Blattman whether these findings should be kept, abbreviated, or deleted
Critiques of deterministic view of factor endowments, emphasizing role of institutions and pre-existing power structures
editEasterly and Levine (E&L) hold that tropics, germs, and crops affect development through institutions. E&L argue that tropics, germs, and crops do not affect country incomes directly. (Similar conclusion reached in Nugent & Robinson. See below.)
Coffee production in South America is conducted by small-holders or on plantations.
Some coffee states, like Costa Rica and Columbia, passed laws like the U.S. 1862 Homestead Act. They protected small holders, held elections, maintained small militaries, and fought fewer wars. Other states produced coffee using a plantation system. Whether a state became a small-holder or plantation state depended on the elite power distribution established under colonial rule. Even if countries have similar geographies or factor endowments, the impact of those considerations is contingent on the form that political competition takes in society. Endowments are not fate. Small-holder arrangements prompt widespread government investment, especially in education. That configuration usually occurs when elites are not militarized and don’t have a comparative advantage in running plantations.
Works Cited
edit- ^ Diamond, Jared (1999). Guns, Germs, and Steel. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
- ^ Herbst, Jeffrey (2000). States and Power in Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- ^ Alsan, Marcella (January 2015). "The Effect of the Tsetse Fly on African Development". American Economic Review. 105.
- ^ Moore, Jr., Barrington (1966). Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. United States: Beacon Press.
- ^ Engerman, Stanley L.; Sokoloff, Kenneth L. (2011). Economic development in the Americas since 1500: endowments and institutions. United States: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521251372.
- ^ Landes, David (1998). The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Nations are So Rich and Others So Poor. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
- ^ Nunn, Nathan; Puga, Diego (February 2012). "Ruggedness: The Blessing of Bad Geography in Africa". The Review of Economics and Statistics. 94: 20–36.
- ^ Mellinger, Andrew D.; Sachs, Jeffrey D.; Gallup, John L. (1999). "Climate, Water Navigability, and Economic Development (Working Paper)". Harvard Institute for International Development.
- ^ Gallup, John L.; Sachs, Jeffrey D. (March 1999). "Geography and Economic Development (Working Paper)". Harvard Institute for International Development.
- ^ Easterly, William; Levine, Ross (January 2003). "Tropics, germs, and crops: how endowments influence economic development". Journal of Monetary Economics. 50: 3-39.
- ^ Nugent, Jeffrey B.; Robinson, James A. (March 2010). "Are Factor Endowments Fate?". Revista de Historia Económica. 28 (1): 45–82.