The hallmark of the recent development and growth literature is a quest to identify institutions that explain a significant portion of the observed differences in living standards across countries. Empirical work in the area focuses almost exclusively on either the global sample or on developing...

In this paper the term ‘globalisation’ means the international integration of nationally organised markets in conjunction with increasing cross-country flows of factors of production. According to this globalisation has been under way for centuries. Globalisation is not a completely...

Argues that on the basis of evidence of British soldiers there was a threat of a Malthusian crisis on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.

The discovery of the New World enabled the nutritional status of the European populations to be maintained sufficiently to avoid a major Malthusian catastrophe as in prior centuries.