Harvard University, NBER and BREAD.
Q J Econ. 2011;126(2):593-650. doi: 10.1093/qje/qjr009.
We exploit regional variation in suitability for cultivating potatoes, together with time variation arising from their introduction to the Old World from the Americas, to estimate the impact of potatoes on Old World population and urbanization. Our results show that the introduction of the potato was responsible for a significant portion of the increase in population and urbanization observed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. According to our most conservative estimates, the introduction of the potato accounts for approximately one-quarter of the growth in Old World population and urbanization between 1700 and 1900. Additional evidence from within-country comparisons of city populations and adult heights also confirms the cross-country findings.
我们利用土豆适宜种植的地区差异，以及土豆从美洲传入旧大陆带来的时间差异，来估计土豆对旧大陆人口和城市化的影响。我们的结果表明，在 18 世纪和 19 世纪，土豆的引入是人口和城市化增长的重要原因。根据我们最保守的估计，土豆的引入大约占 1700 年至 1900 年间旧大陆人口和城市化增长的四分之一。来自国内城市人口和成人身高比较的额外证据也证实了这些跨国研究结果。
