TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ashraf,Quamrul
AU  - Galor,Oded
TI  - Genetic Diversity and the Origins of Cultural Fragmentation
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 18738
PY  - 2013
Y2  - January 2013
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w18738
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w18738.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Quamrul Ashraf
Williams College
Department of Economics
24 Hopkins Hall Drive
Williamstown, MA 01267
Tel: (413) 597-3051
Fax: (413) 597-4045
E-Mail: Quamrul.H.Ashraf@williams.edu

Oded Galor
Department of Economics
Brown University
Box B
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401/863-2117
Fax: 401/863-1970
E-Mail: oded_galor@brown.edu
AB  - Despite the importance attributed to the effects of diversity on the stability and prosperity of nations, the origins of the uneven distribution of ethnic and cultural fragmentation across countries have been underexplored. Building on the role of deeply-rooted biogeographical forces in comparative development, this research empirically demonstrates that genetic diversity, predominantly determined during the prehistoric "out of Africa" migration of humans, is an underlying cause of various existing manifestations of ethnolinguistic heterogeneity. Further exploration of this uncharted territory may revolutionize the understanding of the effects of deeply-rooted factors on economic development and the composition of human capital across the globe.
ER  -