The Origins of Ethnolinguistic Diversity

Stelios Michalopoulos

No 110, Carlo Alberto Notebooks from Collegio Carlo Alberto

Abstract: This research examines the economic origins of ethnolinguistic diversity. The empirical analysis constructs detailed data on the distribution of land quality and elevation across contiguous regions, virtual and real countries, and shows that variation in elevation and land quality has contributed significantly to the emergence and persistence of ethnic fractionalization. The empirical and historical evidence is consistent with the proposed hypothesis, according to which heterogeneous land endowments generated region specific human capital, limiting population mobility and leading to the formation of localized ethnicities and languages. The research contributes to the understanding of the emergence of ethnicities and their spatial distribution and offers a distinction between the natural, geographically driven, versus the artificial, man-made, components of contemporary ethnic diversity.

Keywords: Ethnic Diversity; Geography; Technological Progress; Human Capital; Colonization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J20 J24 O11 O12 O15 O33 O40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 55 pages
Date: 2009
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-hrm, nep-mig and nep-ure
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (25)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Origins of Ethnolinguistic Diversity (2012)
Working Paper: The Origins of Technolinguistic Diversity (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cca:wpaper:110

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