Encephalization And Division Of Labor By Early Humans

John Hartwick

No 1161, Working Paper from Economics Department, Queen's University

Abstract: We draw on Ricardian comparative advantage between distinct persons to map out the division of labor among proto-humans in a village some 1.7 million years ago. A person specialized in maintaining a cooking fire in the village is of particular interest (Ofek [2001]). We are also interested in modelling hunting by village males in teams. The large issue is whether and how specialization (division of labor) and interpersonal trade might have driven brain-expansion in early humans.

Keywords: early humans; division of labor; brain expansion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A14 D51 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2007-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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https://www.econ.queensu.ca/sites/econ.queensu.ca/files/qed_wp_1161.pdf First version 2007 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Encephalization and division of labor by early humans (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:qed:wpaper:1161

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