Malthusian Migrations

Guillaume Blanc and Romain Wacziarg

No 33542, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: For most of human history, until the fertility transition, technological progress translated into larger populations, preventing sustained improvements in living standards. We argue that migration offered an escape valve from these Malthusian dynamics after the European discovery and colonization of the Americas. We document a strong relationship between fertility and migration across countries, regions, individuals, and periods, in a variety of datasets and specifications, and with different identification strategies. During the Age of Mass Migration, persistently high fertility across much of Europe created a large reservoir of surplus labor that could find better opportunities in the New World. These migrations, by relieving demographic pressures, accelerated the transition to modern growth.

JEL-codes: F22 J13 N33 O11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-03
Note: DAE EFG POL
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Working Paper: Malthusian Migrations (2025)
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