Melissa Dell’s research on the significance of persistence in predicting economic outcomes looked at Vietnam pre-colonization (by France) and after the Vietnam war. Histories of a strong state and centralized government ended up being a good predictor of success.
Another example was South Korea, despite the disastrous effects of the Korean war, the persistence of institutions and people that could centralize important functions helped lead to what we see today–the 1950s were more of an aberration caused by external factors (Cold War).
See also:
- The Historical State, Local, Collective Action, and Economic Development in Vietnam where this concept comes from
- An episode on Tyler Cowen’s podcast with Melissa Dell that discusses this and other topics related to government and economic policy
Links to this note
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Economist and professor at Harvard, winner of the John Bates Clark Medal. Has researched and written about the significance of persistence in predicting economic outcomes and the interaction of government and economic development.
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Prospera Is a Libertarian Corporate Charter City in Honduras
Próspera is a charter city run by the Honduras Próspera Inc (HPI) in conjuction with the Honduras government ZEDE laws which enable setting up economic zones (i.e. charter cities) governed by a non-Honduran entity (like a corporation). The group established the first zone in Roatan in an area of unused land the size of Central park.
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8 in 10 People Live Within 100 Miles of Where They Grew Up
Where you live and work is highly dependent on where you grew up. A recent study using data from the U.S. Census Bureau looking at migration patterns found that 80% of young adults move less than 100 miles from where they grew up—90% live less than 500 miles from where they grew up. Migration distances are shorter for Black and Hispanic individuals and those from low-income families.
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The likelihood that something will continue to be done the same way it was done from the outset. This can be readily observed in technology. For instance, the width of train rails is the width of a horse pulled cart (or “two horses asses”) and led to the width of rockets on the space shuttle being set to a size not based on what is optimal, but based on what can be transported via train.