The 'Out of Africa' Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, and Comparative Economic Development

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2013
Volume: 103
Issue: 1
Pages: 1-46

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

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)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:103:y:2013:i:1:p:1-46
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24