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 1105, GLO Discussion Paper Series from Global Labor Organization (GLO)

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° x 1° 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.

Keywords: State; Agriculture; Isolation; Social Complexity; Stickiness to China; Erlitou; East Asia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F50 F59 H70 H79 N90 O10 R10 Z10 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem and nep-gro
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https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/259817/1/GLO-DP-1105.pdf (application/pdf)

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 (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:zbw:glodps:1105

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