Of mice and merchants: trade and growth in the Iron Age

Bakker, Jan David, Maurer, Stephan ORCID: 0000-0003-2446-8575, Pischke, Jörn-Steffen ORCID: 0000-0002-6466-1874 and Rauch, Ferdinand (2018) Of mice and merchants: trade and growth in the Iron Age. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1558). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

We study the causal connection between trade and development using one of the earliest massive trade expansions: the first systematic crossing of open seas in the Mediterranean during the time of the Phoenicians. We construct a measure of connectedness along the shores of the sea. This connectivity varies with the shape of the coast, the location of islands, and the distance to the opposing shore. We relate connectedness to local growth, which we measure using the presence of archaeological sites in an area. We find an association between better connected locations and archaeological sites during the Iron Age, at a time when sailors began to cross open water very routinely and on a big scale. We corroborate these findings at the level of the world.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2018 The Authors
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification:	F - International Economics > F1 - Trade > F14 - Country and Industry Studies of Trade N - Economic History > N7 - Transport, International and Domestic Trade, Energy, Technology, and Other Services O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity > O47 - Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output (Income) Convergence
Date Deposited:	11 Jan 2019 10:11
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2024 20:42
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/91679

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