The development of the arid tropics: lessons for economic history

Roy, Tirthankar ORCID: 0000-0002-4183-2781 (2022) The development of the arid tropics: lessons for economic history. Economic History of Developing Regions. ISSN 2078-0389

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Abstract

For centuries, the world’s tropical regions have been poorer than the temperate-zone countries. Does tropicality make the struggle for economic development harder? What do people caught up in the struggle do? The paper defines ‘tropicality’ as the combination of aridity and seasonal rainfall, and in turn, high inter- and intra-year variability in moisture influx. In the past, this condition would generate a variety of adaptive strategies such as migration and transhumance. In the twentieth century, the response pattern changed from adapting to moisture supply towards control of moisture supply. This process unleashed conflict and environmental stress in the vulnerable geography of the semi-arid tropics.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rehd20
Additional Information:	© 2022 The Author
Divisions:	Economic History
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification:	N - Economic History > N1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations > N10 - General, International, or Comparative N - Economic History > N5 - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries > N55 - Asia including Middle East N - Economic History > N5 - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries > N57 - Africa; Oceania
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2022 11:27
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 03:06
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/115514

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