Deep origins of modern inequality Methodological innovations are enabling scientists to study how events in the distant past affect contemporary life. Nunn reviews recent research at the intersection of history, development, and culture that aims to understand the cultural evolution of economic development. The persistence of global inequality is used as a case study to demonstrate the interplay of these dynamics. Future areas of research and implications for policy are discussed. Science, this issue p. eaaz9986 BACKGROUND Traditionally, research into contemporary economic development has taken a primarily ahistorical approach. The study of the past was relegated to the separate field of economic history, and connections between historical factors and present-day economic outcomes were seldom made. In recent decades, there has been a rapidly growing body of research within economics that takes a historical perspective when attempting to understand contemporary issues related to global poverty and comparative development. ADVANCES Typically, studies of this kind begin by collecting new data, often from archival sources, that measure aspects of the historical episode of interest. These data are then connected to contemporary outcomes of interest, matched through populations, societies, or locations, to test whether the historical factor has a causal effect on the contemporary factors being examined. Statistical analysis is undertaken, studying variation across individuals, ethnicities, or countries and using empirical techniques (such as instrumental variables, regression discontinuity, difference-in-difference, or natural experiments) that are aimed at distinguishing causal relationships from mere correlation. Having established the importance of a historical factor or episode for outcomes today, an attempt is then made to understand the exact causal mechanisms that account for the observed relationship. This generally requires the collection of additional data and additional statistical analysis, as well as an integration of the historical literature and descriptive evidence. A body of empirical research that has emerged over the past two decades has established that a substantial proportion of the variation in economic prosperity that we observe in the world today has its roots in the past. Historical events, such as European expansion across the globe during the 16th century and after, have been shown to have shaped subsequent paths of development. It is now clear that one cannot fully understand contemporary economic development without understanding its historical roots. OUTLOOK A common reaction to the finding that history is important for contemporary outcomes is that this leaves little room for policy. If much of the nature of the world today is determined through historical processes, what role is there for policy? I explain how such a view, while natural, is incorrect. In addition to providing a more complete understanding of the process of economic development, the findings from the literature are also important for thinking about policies that help to address issues related to global development moving forward. This is an important next step for the literature. Recent studies have begun to take on this next challenge. I illustrate this by providing examples of studies that seek to better understand the origins of mistrust in Western medicine. This mistrust, which is present all over the world, has resulted in underutilization of medical services, resulting in poorer health and higher mortality. Studies have examined the historical roots of such mistrust, showing how it is determined by poor medical practices in the past. I then discuss examples where the insights that are obtained from the historical analyses are used to improve the design, implementation, and effectiveness of policies. These examples illustrate a more general point: There are sizable gains to be realized from research that seeks to better understand how local history and context can be leveraged to inform the design of better policy. Map showing the Age of Discovery, the historical period that fostered the origins of the vast differences in economic prosperity that we observe today. IMAGE COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LIBRARIES, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN This article reviews an emerging area of research within economics that seeks to better understand contemporary economic outcomes by taking a historical perspective. The field has established that many of the contemporary differences in comparative economic development have their roots in the distant past. The insights gained from this literature are not only of academic importance but also useful for thinking about policies that help to address global development moving forward. I provide examples of recent studies that have begun to take on this important next step in the literature by using insights gleaned from historical analyses to better understand policy and its optimal design.

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经济发展的历史根源

现代不平等的深层根源 方法论创新使科学家能够研究遥远过去的事件如何影响当代生活。纳恩回顾了最近在历史、发展和文化交叉领域的研究，旨在了解经济发展的文化演变。全球不平等的持续存在被用作案例研究来证明这些动态的相互作用。讨论了未来的研究领域和对政策的影响。科学，这个问题 p。eaaz9986 背景 传统上，对当代经济发展的研究主要采用非历史方法。过去的研究被归入经济史的单独领域，历史因素与当今经济结果之间的联系很少。近几十年来，在试图理解与全球贫困和比较发展相关的当代问题时，经济学中越来越多的研究采用历史视角。进展 通常，此类研究从收集新数据开始，通常来自档案来源，衡量感兴趣的历史事件的各个方面。然后将这些数据与感兴趣的当代结果联系起来，通过人口、社会或地点进行匹配，以测试历史因素是否对正在检查的当代因素有因果影响。进行统计分析，研究个体、种族或国家之间的差异并使用经验技术（例如工具变量、回归不连续性、差异中的差异、或自然实验）旨在将因果关系与单纯的相关性区分开来。确定历史因素或事件对今天结果的重要性后，然后尝试了解解释所观察到的关系的确切因果机制。这通常需要收集额外的数据和额外的统计分析，以及整合历史文献和描述性证据。过去 20 年出现的大量实证研究表明，我们今天在世界上观察到的经济繁荣变化的很大一部分源于过去。历史事件，例如 16 世纪及之后欧洲在全球的扩张，已被证明塑造了随后的发展道路。现在很明显，如果不了解其历史根源，就无法完全理解当代经济发展。展望 对于历史对当代结果很重要这一发现的普遍反应是，这几乎没有为政策留出空间。如果当今世界的大部分性质是由历史进程决定的，那么政策的作用是什么？我解释了这种观点虽然很自然，但却是不正确的。除了提供对经济发展过程的更完整理解之外，文献中的发现对于思考有助于解决与全球发展相关的问题的政策也很重要。这是文学的重要下一步。最近的研究已经开始应对下一个挑战。我通过提供一些研究实例来说明这一点，这些研究旨在更好地理解对西方医学不信任的根源。这种普遍存在于世界各地的不信任导致医疗服务利用不足，导致健康状况较差和死亡率较高。研究检查了这种不信任的历史根源，表明它是如何由过去不良的医疗实践决定的。然后我讨论了一些例子，其中从历史分析中获得的见解用于改进政策的设计、实施和有效性。这些例子说明了一个更普遍的观点：从旨在更好地了解如何利用当地历史和背景来为更好的政策设计提供信息的研究中可以获得相当大的收益。显示大发现时代的地图，促成我们今天观察到的经济繁荣的巨大差异起源的历史时期。图片由德克萨斯大学图书馆提供，德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校 本文回顾了经济学中的一个新兴研究领域，旨在通过历史视角更好地理解当代经济成果。该领域已经确定，比较经济发展中的许多当代差异都源于遥远的过去。从这些文献中获得的见解不仅具有学术重要性，而且对于思考有助于解决全球发展问题的政策也很有用。