Week 7 - Geography Flashcards
How can geography have a direct effect on income per capita (development)?
The level of income per capita is correlated with things like climate, temperature, the disease environment, natural resources…
How might the fact a country is landlocked negatively affect its income per capita
- Much easier and less costly to transport goods over water than over land or air.
- Being close to the sea coat or navigable rivers reduces transport costs
- Having access to this larger market means you can benefit from economies of scale
Why might malaria n other diseases create a negative cycle of low income per capita?
Leads to people being unable to work or go to school, low savings and low IQ, low GDP per capita, can lead to more diseases etc…
Why is agricultural productivity low in the tropics?
Major food grains work better in a temperature climate. Can also experience volatile rainfall, droughts, floods. Pests and parasites also kill crops and livestock.
How has geography indirectly effected development?
Through historical channels.
In Diamonds explanation of development, why did he say Eurasia developed first (in 1 sentence)?
Prehistoric geographical and biological conditions affect the onset of agriculture and domestication, and ultimately affect how colonisation occurred and how political and economic power came to be distributed across the world
Where are the ancestors of domesticable animals and plants heavily concentrated in
Eurasia. e.g. sheep, goats, horses, cows, pigs
How does domesticable animals effect development?
Domesticable animals and plants in Eurasia ⇒
easier to develop agriculture ⇒
lots of food ⇒
leads to growth of population and cities
Why are people in Eurasia more immune to diseases?
Major infectious diseases all evolved from diseases from animals e.g. smallpox, flue, malaria, plague. Having domesticated animals means you live very close to them, and develop some immunity over time. In communities without immunity, a small number of infected people can cause a lot of damage.
Putting it all together, what is the rough sketch of Diamonds thesis?
Eurasia had a huge advantage due to domesticable animals and plants, size and temperature climates. They were able to develop agriculture earlier leading to growth of population and cities, leading to improvements in technology, political organisation, writing. Being more developed means they have a military advantage aswell. All while germs are wreaking havoc in rest of the world
What are some problems with Diamonds theory?
- Only takes us up to 1500/1600
- today there are large differences in development within eurasia
- Doesn’t explain why the industrial revolution started in England
In what other way can geography indirectly effect development?
Through differences in the quality of institutions
What does Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson outline is the reason for a lower quality of institutions in less developed countries?
Colonisers going to places with a very different climate would experience high mortality rates due to the disease environment, and they would set up bad/extractive institutions because they weren’t looking to settle there.
What did Engerman and Sokoloff outline as an indirect effect of geography on development? Which 2 areas did he give an example of?
There are different geographic endowments between north and south America which have led to the adoption of different types of institutions. Better in north, worse in south. These institutions persisted over centuries which have led to differential development.
What is the difference in geographical endowments between North and South America?
In South, you can grow stuff like sugar, tabacco and cotton due to the climate. There is also a lot of gold and silver to be mined. North America have can farm crops which have a smaller economies of scale
