Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State

James Kai-sing Kung, Ömer Özak, Louis Putterman and Shuang Shi

No z4krh, EcoEvoRxiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: We propose and test empirically a theory describing the endogenous formation and persistence of mega-states, using China as an example. We suggest that the relative timing of the emergence of agricultural societies, and their distance from each other, set off a race between their autochthonous state-building projects, which determines their extent and persistence. Using a novel dataset describing the historical presence of Chinese states, prehistoric development, the diffusion of agriculture, and migratory distance across 1-degree x 1-degree grid cells in eastern Asia, we find that cells that adopted agriculture earlier and were close to Erlitou -- the earliest political center in eastern Asia -- remained under Chinese control for longer and continue to be a part of China today. By contrast, cells that adopted agriculture early and were located further from Erlitou developed into independent states, as agriculture provided the fertile ground for state-formation, while isolation provided time for them to develop and confront the expanding Chinese empire. Our study sheds important light on why eastern Asia kept reproducing a mega-state in the area that became China and on the determinants of its borders with other states.

Date: 2022-06-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-cna, nep-evo, nep-gro and nep-his
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https://osf.io/download/629bd2f30686312729729e32/

Related works:
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2022)
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2022)
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2022)
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2022)
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2020)
Working Paper: Millet, Rice, and Isolation: Origins and Persistence of the World's Most Enduring Mega-State (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:ecoevo:z4krh

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/z4krh

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