The empirical literature on economic growth and development has moved from the study of
proximate determinants to the analysis of ever deeper, more fundamental factors, rooted in …

This article provides a survey of a growing body of empirical evidence that points toward the
important long-term effects that historic events can have on economic development. The …

We provide theory and evidence that the elasticity of local employment to a labor demand
shock is heterogeneous depending on the commuting openness of the local labor market …

We explore the role of natural characteristics in determining the worldwide spatial
distribution of economic activity, as proxied by lights at night, observed across 240,000 grid …

More than 100 natural disasters strike the United States every year, causing extensive
fatalities and damages. We construct the universe of US federally designated natural …

I process satellite-generated data on terrain elevation and presence of water bodies to
precisely estimate the amount of developable land in US metropolitan areas. The data show …

We show that current differences in trust levels within Africa can be traced back to the
transatlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades. Combining contemporary individual-level …

Abstract Many cities in North America formed at obstacles to water navigation, where
continued transport required overland hauling or portage. Portage sites attracted commerce …

Beckley demonstrates that no country is poised to upend American primacy, not
economically, not militarily, and not technologically.... The evidence he assembles should be …

This article interrogates the role of local Chinese governors in government-driven
urbanisation. This process often involves local governments converting rural land to urban …