This paper documents the existence of a negative cross-sectional correlation between the price of living space as measured by rent per room and fertility using U.S. Census data over the period 1940-2000, the effect strengthening from 1940 to 1970 and weakening thereafter. The negative...

We examine the relationship of banking crises with economic growth and recessions. Our data cover 21 economies from around the world, most from 1870 to 2009 with the rest starting in 1901 or earlier. The data include capital investment and human capital formation. We have two major findings....

This paper introduces new data on state-level physical capital by sector and land in the farm sector for the states of the United States from 1840 to 2000. These data are incorporated into aggregate accounting exercises with the aim of comparing cross-state results to those found in...

We present a model of public provision of education for blacks in two discriminatory regimes, white plantation controlled, and white yeoman-town controlled. We show that the ability to migrate to a non-discriminating district constrains the ability of both types of regimes to discriminate. The...

The authors' analysis of growth assumes endogenous fertility and a rising rate of return on human capital as the stock of human capital increases. When human capital is abundant, rates of return on human capital investments are high relative to rates of return on children, whereas, when human...

This paper examines the role of individual instruction and teacher quality in determining economic growth and convergence across school districts. The model shows that if teacher quality is more important for human capital accumulation than individual instruction, human capital convergence will...

We present new data on fertility, schooling, and child survival in fertility in the United States between 1800 and 2000. Over that period, fertility, children's schooling, and child survival converged across states and regions. Falling child mortality, rising parental education, and increased...

An endogenous growth model is developed that produces convergence in per capita income and growth rates of output. Agents have identical preferences and access to identical technologies of production and investment, but differing levels of initial human capital. A spillover effect of human...

This article introduces original annual average years of schooling measures for each state from 1840 to 2000. Our methodology results in state estimates similar to those reported in the United States Census from 2000 back to 1940 and national, turn of the century estimates strikingly close to...