Climate and the Emergence of Global Income Differences

TY - JOUR

T1 - Climate and the Emergence of Global Income Differences

AU - B. Andersen, Thomas

AU - Dalgaard, Carl-Johan Lars

AU - Selaya, Pablo

PY - 2016/10/1

Y1 - 2016/10/1

N2 - The latitude gradient in comparative development is a striking fact: as one moves away from the equator, economic activity rises. While this regularity is well known, it is not well understood. Perhaps the strongest correlate of (absolute) latitude is the intensity of ultraviolet radiation (UV-R), which epidemiological research has shown to be a cause of a wide range of diseases. We establish that UV-R is strongly and negatively correlated with economic activity, both across and within countries. We propose and test a mechanism that links UV-R to current income differences via the impact of disease ecology on the timing of the take-off to sustained growth.

AB - The latitude gradient in comparative development is a striking fact: as one moves away from the equator, economic activity rises. While this regularity is well known, it is not well understood. Perhaps the strongest correlate of (absolute) latitude is the intensity of ultraviolet radiation (UV-R), which epidemiological research has shown to be a cause of a wide range of diseases. We establish that UV-R is strongly and negatively correlated with economic activity, both across and within countries. We propose and test a mechanism that links UV-R to current income differences via the impact of disease ecology on the timing of the take-off to sustained growth.

U2 - 10.1093/restud/rdw006

DO - 10.1093/restud/rdw006

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0034-6527

VL - 83

SP - 1334

EP - 1363

JO - Review of Economic Studies

JF - Review of Economic Studies

IS - 4

ER -