Biological welfare and the commons: A natural experiment in the Alps, 1765–1845

O’Grady, Trevor and Claudio Tagliapietra

Economics & Human Biology, 2017, vol. 27, issue PA, 137-153

Abstract: In the late 18th century hundreds self-governing alpine communities in Northern Italy came under the direct control of centralized states (Austria and France) at different times. We exploit the timing and location of these interventions in a DD type design to investigate the effects of removing CPR institutions on biological welfare. We find a significant and persistent increase in infant mortality rates and a more modest decrease in birth rates as a result of state centralization. We provide evidence that these demographic changes reflect a critical loss of natural resource income caused by the disruption of communal institutions. Impacts are most severe in communities that have no prior experience with formal institutions.

Keywords: D23; K11; L14; N53; P48; Common property; Centralization; Infant mortality; Habsburgs; Napoleon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:27:y:2017:i:pa:p:137-153

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2017.05.008

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